V is for Victoria
by duchessofbooks
Summary: For Undecover Diva233. Vicki Lynn Payne moves to California to fulfill her dream. She gets hired as the Mighty Ducks' strategist and becomes close friends with the ducks. She then later falls in love with the ex-jewel thief, Duke L'Orange. However, there is one enemy who would do anything to get rid of the Ducks, even if it means hurting the people they hold dear to their hearts.
1. Chapter 1

_The Mighty Ducks and its characters belong to Walt Disney Television. Pretty Little Liars' characters belong to Sara Shepherd and ABC Family. Original characters belong to Undecover Diva233. _

Chapter 1

Victoria "Vicki" Lynn Payne McCray was packing the last few things into boxes. Vicki made sure that everything she needed was in her car because tomorrow she was to leave her hometown of Altavista, Virginia. She will be heading to Anaheim, California to fulfill her dream as an ice-skater and fashion designer.

Her Aunt Violet had a penthouse apartment that was within walking distance of the Arrowhead Pond Center, or just "The Pond", home to the Mighty Ducks hockey team. Vicki loved watching hockey, but her favorite was the Mighty Ducks team as she was enchanted by the one player Duke L'Orange.

Vicki was a beautiful African-American woman with soft long black hair, warm dark brown eyes, and smooth dark skin, with no speck of acne to be spoken of.

Apart from being beautiful, kind, and somewhat shy, Vicki was also very smart in doing strategies when it comes to sports. Sometimes, she got carried away when she watched the sports channel. Whenever a sports team did something wrong, Vicki would point out to her parents about what the players should've done.

It was all thanks to her brain and her mind. Whenever she watched a sport, such as hockey, lines, x's, circles, and scribbles would appear in her head. The first time she experienced this was when she was a little girl. Her family had been watching a hockey game with the Washington Capitals vs. the Detroit Red Wings. The young Vicki had been shouting at the screen, "No to the right! Cut him off! Take the puck!" and other sorts of strategies.

Her mother and step-father were surprised of what Vicki was saying. At first, they thought she was talking nonsense, but when Vicki kept on shouting strategies, they realized of how smart she was.

Vicki's mother and step-dad supported her in achieving her dream. Vicki's real father, Robert Payne was good friends with Peter McCray. Vicki loved both men as they both treated her like a princess. Then, came the third World War. When Vicki was four, the United States entered a never-ending battle with an unknown enemy. Robert and Peter decided to enter as soldiers, but one day, Robert made Peter swear that he will take care of Robert's family. Peter promised. It wasn't until one day that Vicki received some shocking news.

Robert had been killed in an ambush. The enemy had opened fired on Robert's group and he stayed behind to hold off the enemy while Peter led the others to safety. Unfortunately, the enemy had shot Robert. He was still alive and Peter carried him to a town for medical treatment. Sadly, Robert died along the way. An army unit went to the McCray house the following day to inform Vicki and her mother, Lisa.

After Robert's body was buried in the army cemetery, Peter was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for extreme heroism. The Payne's were given the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom for Robert's bravery and sacrifice for his country.

Lisa and Peter became close shortly after Robert's death. The two got married a year later.

Now Peter was good in both English and French and he got a job as a translator with the United States government. He would translate for the US president and the president of France.

Many years pass and Lisa thought that Vicki deserved the best in achieving her education. Lisa decided to send Vicki to live her high school years in Rustburg with her grandparents and attend Rustburg High School. Vicki was one of the popular students there as she exceeded in computer science and mathematics, all thanks to her brain. After graduating, Vicki applied and got accepted at Liberty University.

Before finishing up her studies, Vicki's mother had told her one day that she and step-father were going to sell the house and leave Vicki at her Aunt Violet's place. Vicki's mother and step-father were going to see the world without her. The war had ended and the world was safe to travel, again. The last time Vicki heard from her mother and step-dad was when they sent a postcard from Paris and it said that both of them were going to live there.

Vicki loved her Aunt Violet as she was fun-loving and gave Vicki the support she needed to pursue her dream. Aunt Violet was also very wealthy and she bought a penthouse apartment in Anaheim, California, but she decided to lend it to Vicki and six other girls who applied as roommates. The six girls were from Rosewood, Pennsylvania, and from what Vicki understood was that they were fun and friendly. Vicki only heard them over the phone a couple of times and she was eager to meet them. Their names were *Aria Montgomery, Mona Vanderwaal, Emily Fields, Hanna Marin, Spencer Hastings, and Alison Dilaurentis. The girls were besties who graduated from Hollis College and they were eager to leave their small town of Rosewood and head on out to California.

Now, Vicki recently graduated from Liberty University with an associate in computer science. She also took some classes in fashion designing as Vicki loved to make her own clothes.

Today she wore a blue t-shirt that had pink flower designs, black jean pants, and white tennis shoes. Vicki made sure she had her aunt's sewing machine was in her car as Vicki refused to go without it.

It was getting close to sunset and Vicki placed everything in her blue Ford Fiesta. She had a little trouble shutting the trunk door, but she got it.

"Vicki! The hockey game is on!" Aunt Violet called out to her niece. "It's the Ducks verses the Kings!" she added.

In a flash, Vicki ran from the driveway and into the house. She took a seat on the couch by the TV and it was just in time as the hockey teams' members were being featured. The camera showed the Kings' players, but Vicki booed at them and waited for the camera crew to feature the Ducks.

Finally, the screen showed the duck humanoids waving at the camera along with their manager. Vicki stared at the one ex-con Duck, Duke L'Orange and she gave sigh.

When she first saw the alien Ducks on TV, she was fascinated. She bought every magazine or book that featured the Ducks in interviews. They explained about their home planet, Puckworld and of the Saurian invasion that resulted in the natives of Puckworld being enslaved. Duke L'Orange, being a former jewel thief took part in the resistance, teaming up with Canard Thunderbeak, Wildwing and Nosedive Flashblade, Tanya Vanderflock, Grin Hardwing, and Mallory McMallard.

From what Vicki read, the Saurian's ruler, Lord Dragaunus and his goons were chased by the Ducks and they went through Dimensional Limbo and ended up in the Solar System. One team member, Canard became trapped in Dimensional Limbo and the others had to leave him behind.

The Ducks landed in Anaheim, California and they became the city's hockey team, calling themselves the Mighty Ducks. They had many adventures and battles against the Saurians and other enemies. And just recently, Canard Thunderbeak was brought back from Dimensional Limbo and became part of the team, again. However, the Ducks still had to deal with their hated enemy and somehow get back home.

On the hockey broadcast, both teams went out onto the ice, taking positions with Duke and a Kings' winger in the center where they were to receive the puck.

Vicki's heart began to pound as the referee dropped the puck and the two competitors went for it. Duke swung it away from the Kings' player and Mallory received it and she skated away with it.

"Block that one!" Vicki called out, pointing to a Kings' centre player. Luckily, the Ducks' defenseman or defenseduck, Grin Hardwing blocked the player, giving Mallory the chance to skate away.

Mallory then passed the puck to Nosedive Flashblade and the crowd in the arena cried out for him. "C'mon! You got it!" Vicki exclaimed.

Suddenly, a Kings' defenseman crashed into the Duck and he fell to the ground. The referee whistled the offence and gave the Kings' player a penalty. Tanya Vanderflock took the puck and swerved in and out, avoiding from getting hit.

"Pass it!" Vicki shouted and Tanya did pass it to Duke. The other Ducks blocked the Kings' players from Duke as he headed for the Kings' goalie net.

"Score it!" Vicki shouted, again. With a swing, Duke sent the puck flying and the Kings' goalie missed catching it.

"SCORE!" the announcer called out.

"YES!" Vicki exclaimed.

The game went on with both teams stealing the puck, receiving penalties, and scoring whatever goals they could.

In the final quarter, the score was 2-1, with the Ducks' leading. Vicki never felt so excited before with a hockey game. Okay, that was a lie, she was always excited with hockey games, but her favorite team was the Mighty Ducks and she hoped that she would get hired as their strategist.

After graduation, Vicki sent in her application and résumé to the Ducks' manager, Phil Palmfeather. However, she did not receive a call from him yet as he said he would make up his mind before Vicki set out to Anaheim. She feared that Phil did not approve of her application and turned her down.

Vicki refused to give up hope that she will get the call.

30 seconds remained on the timer for the final quarter and the Ducks and the Kings were having an all-out battle with the puck.

The Kings had the puck and the Ducks did everything they could to get it back, but the enemy defense blocked them from it.

"Oh, Wildwing I hope you catch it!" Vicki said and prayed for a miracle.

The Ducks' leader, Wildwing Flashblade looked ready as he had fire in his eyes. The Kings' winger then took a hard swing at the puck, sending it flying toward the Ducks' net. However, Wildwing caught the puck before it went in!

The timer buzzed and the crowd went crazy. "The Ducks win!" the announcer shouted. Vicki went wild, "Yes! YES! YES!" she exclaimed and she hugged her aunt.

The camera then featured the Ducks doing their trademark yell, "DUCKS ROCK!"

Vicki sat down on the couch, relived that her favorite team won. "Vicki, sweetie, do you have everything you need?" Aunt Violet asked.

"Yes," she breathed and lifted her hands up in the air. Vicki then realized that it was very late, she needed to get to bed and get some rest before heading out tomorrow.

"Shame on your mother for not seeing you off to California! Why if I was her mother, I would give her a piece of my mind!" Aunt Violet said in a bitter tone.

"Aunt Violet, it's fine, they're probably-" Vicki stopped talking when the phone rang and she went to answer. On the caller ID, it said 'Payne McCray Lisa', it was Vicki's mother.

"Hello, or I should say Bonjour!" Vicki exclaimed into the phone.

"Bonjour Mademoiselle Vicki!" her mother replied and they both laughed. "I heard tomorrow is the big day!"

"Yes, it is mom," Vicki said.

"Oh, sweetheart I'm so sorry that we couldn't come to see you off. Your step-dad found a new job in Paris and he needed time to settle and get on track," her mother replied and Vicki gasped.

"Peter has a new job!" she exclaimed.

"Yes indeed, as a translator for a publishing company," Lisa replied.

"Oh that is great," Vicki said.

"Oh, I feel so guilty in not coming to see you," her mother said, sounding upset.

"Don't be, I'm glad that you're having a good time in Paris," Vicki replied, "Oh, Aunt Violet and I watched the most exciting hockey game!" she added and explained the whole game to her mother.

"My word, that sounds exciting," her mother said. "Well, I shouldn't keep you up, you have a long day ahead of you. Goodnight sweetie, I love you. Say hi to Aunt Violet for me," she added.

"I love you, too, mom. Bye," Vicki replied and hung up.

Vicki then headed off to bed. Tomorrow was a big day and she was looking forward to settle in Anaheim with her new roommates and maybe, just maybe, she will get the call.

* * *

*These are The Liars from Pretty Little Liars.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Vicki's alarm buzzed on her iPhone. Today was the day and she got up from her bed. It was still dark out as it was 5 o'clock in the morning.

Vicki grabbed some blue denim capris and a white and blue stripped shirt. She hurried off to the shower and stood under the hot water.

It felt good, but deep down, Vicki felt sick. She could tell that she was nervous about the very long drive to Anaheim.

When she finished in the shower, she headed down to the kitchen, where she found Aunt Violet at the stove. "Oh, there's my pride and joy," she said, showing a plate of pancakes.

Now Vicki was a vegan; she hated meat as she found it repulsing that people eat animals. She also hated it when people abused animals and she hated it when she saw people wearing animal furs. Why if she was president or maybe empress of the whole world, she would ban hunting for sport.

"And here is a blueberry smoothie," Aunt Violet said and placed a cup of the sweet drink beside Vicki's plate.

Vicki ate her breakfast and drank her smoothie in a slow manner. "Are you all right? You look nervous," Aunt Violet asked.

"I am, but I'll be fine," Vicki answered, but then her aunt hugged her.

"If things don't work out, you can always come home," Aunt Violet said and hugged her niece tight.

Vicki felt the threat of tears coming to her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She was a big girl now and she needed to be brave.

When Vicki finished eating, she placed the apartment's address in the GPS. It showed that the arrival time was 36 hours away.

"Now Vicki, promise me this," Aunt Violet said and Vicki listens, "If you get too tired, you go straight to a hotel and get the sleep you need."

"Yes Aunt Violet, I promise," Vicki answered.

"And don't go to the dark ones, I always sensed that there is something wrong with hotels like that. My suggestions: Hilton, Best Western, Marriot, and Holiday Inn," Aunt Violet added. "And one more thing, I know you always pay attention to your gas gage, but I want you to locate a gas station when the gage is a quarter full," she said and Vicki nods.

The young woman began to think; she would be spending the whole day driving through the rest of Virginia and getting through Tennessee. She would probably reach Arkansas by evening, depending on traffic. If she reached Little Rock, she can find a hotel there for the night.

Before getting into her car, she made sure that her cell-phone was charged and she checked the cash she had in her wallet. Vicki then hugged her aunt in a tight embrace. "I wish I could always be with you," Aunt Violet said.

Vicki let go and went into her car, shutting the door. She turned the ignition and the Ford Fiesta came to life. Vicki put the car into reserve and it got out of the driveway. Vicki gave a wave to her aunt and she drove away.

()()()()()()()

Vicki was out of Altavista by the time the sun was showing itself half-way of the horizon. Vicki looked around her hometown for one last time, she was going to miss this place.

Following the GPS' directions, Vicki got out of Campbell County and into Bedford. She reached the Appalachia Mountains by 8 o'clock and she looked at them. They were majestic, almost as if they were walls of rock, protecting the east side of Virginia from western invaders.

Vicki passed through the mountains, admiring the rock formations that were on both sides of the road. She did find it hard to believe that whoever created this road used dynamite to blast through the rocks. The dynamite did leave tiny pebbles behind on the side of the road.

Vicki entered the state of Tennessee before lunch time and Vicki saw that she needed gas and she was getting hungry. She refused to go into any fast food joints as she found everything that they served was disgusting, including the salads. The only places she liked were Panera Bread and whatever pizza joint that served spinach and cheese pizzas.

Vicki entered Johnson City, locating a gas station and a Panera Bread that was close by. Vicki parked next to a pump, payed the gas with her debit card, and filled up her car. Once the tank was full, Vicki drove out of the station and headed straight for the restaurant.

She went inside and decided on the Classic Salad and a fountain drink. She payed for her meal in cash and filled up her cup with water and dropped a lemon wedge in it.

Vicki ate her lunch and used the restroom before going back to her car. She got back on the highway and went out of Johnson City heading west.

She went through Knoxville and kept on going, passing through towns and reached Nashville by 2:30. She kept going, having her eyes glued on the road and made sure that she was going the speed limit. A couple of times she went above it, but Vicki slowed down whenever she saw a police cruiser, she hate to get a speeding ticket.

It was rush hour by the time Vicki reached Memphis and her gas gage was running low, again. She located a Shell station and drove up to a pump. A paper sign said "Please pay inside, debit/credit card reader out of order."

Vicki went into the store/station where she located the register and walked up to meet the cashier, who was reading a newspaper. "Hi there," she said in a friendly voice and the man placed the paper down.

"Good day ma'am, how can I help you?" the cashier asked. Vicki informed him of which pump she was at and she decided to pay in cash for the gas.

"Yeah, that darn reader is always going down," the cashier replied when Vicki handed two twenty bills and a ten bill. "By the way, I haven't seen you before, you on vacation?" he asked.

"Actually, I'm driving out to Anaheim, California. My aunt bought me an apartment and I hope to get a job in Anaheim," Vicki replied.

"Anaheim? Wow, that is a long way," the cashier said in a Memphis accent.

"Excuse me? What is the hold up?" someone said from behind Vicki and she turned to see a Caucasian middle-aged man with a stout belly that hung over his pants.

"Sorry Carl, I was just talking to this nice young lady," the cashier replied, but the man gave a huff.

"Can it wait, I'm in a hurry," Carl said in a rude tone.

Vicki did not like rude people as they sometimes want things to go their way. She stepped aside, allowing the man to meet with the cashier. Carl paid for some snacks he had in his hands, Twinkies, cookies, and some soda.

Once the items were paid, the man had his snakes bagged and he took them. Before heading out the door, the Carl gave Vicki a look and left.

"You have to forgive Carl, he can be impatient sometimes, he is our regular here," the cashier said to Vicki. "Anyway, what kind of job did you say you're getting?" the cashier asked.

"I hope I get hired as a strategist for the Mighty Ducks hockey team," Vicki replied.

"A strategist? You must be one smart cookie. I use to be a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, but I want to see how the Nashville Predators do this season. They were recently formed as a NHL team," the cashier explained and Vicki nods. "Well, I shouldn't keep you waiting. You be careful out there, there are some nice people, but you'll meet rude ones now and than," he added.

"Thank you for your time, you can keep the change if my tank gets full before it hits fifty," Vicki said and left the store.

After filling up her gas tank, it stopped at 48.59, Vicki got back into her car and checked her phone. She saw that her aunt had called about ten times, leaving messages about how lonely she felt after Vicki left. Vicki decided to call Aunt Violet and she answered.

"Hi Aunt Violet," Vicki said and the woman shrieked when she heard her niece's voice.

"Hi Vicki! How are you? Did you run into traffic? Where are you?" Aunt Violet asked many questions.

"Calm down," Vicki said and explains, "I'm in Memphis. I hope I can reach Little Rock for the night."

"You must've had quite a drive. Well, I shouldn't keep you away from your drive. Goodbye sweetie," Aunt Violet said and they hung up.

Vicki used the Safari on her iPhone to see what kind of hotels there were in Little Rock. There was a list of major American hotel chains and Vicki checked the ratings, hoping to find a good one.

She settled with the Holiday Inn and placed the hotel's address in the GPS. The city of Little Rock was about 2 hours away from Memphis and she left the station.

()()()()()()()

Vicki made to Little Rock by the time rush hour hit. Unlike Virginia, Arkansas had little traffic and Vicki made to the Holiday Inn by 5:30. She parked her car and went into the lobby. "Excuse me?" Vicki asked, catching the attention of the person behind the counter.

"Hi, welcome to Little Rock, do you need a room?" the woman asked, waking up the computer.

"Yes, a single please, just for tonight," Vicki replied and the woman went to work. After pressing a few keys, the woman found a few open rooms.

"Would you like to be on the second floor?" she asked and Vicki nods. Vicki paid for the room with her credit card and the woman gave a room key. "Your room# is 211. Check out time for tomorrow is 10 o'clock," the woman said and Vicki went back to her car.

She bought out her duffle bag that had some new clothes and her toiletry bag and locked up her car. Vicki located the door that read "211" and she went in.

The room was big with a nice carpet floor, a desk with a rolling chair, a flat-screen TV, and the bed was a queen with nice looking sheets. Vicki placed her things down and removed her shoes. Her toes rolled over the carpet, it felt good and she laid down on the bed. She was exhausted and hungry, again. She found a room service menu and looked it over.

She was very excited to see that they served spinach and cheese pizza. She called the front desk and she was put through to the kitchen. Vicki placed her order, along with a cup of chamomile tea and a glass of water, and she was told that it would take twenty minutes.

While she waited, Vicki turned on the TV, and went through the channels, trying to locate the sports channel. It featured the Ducks vs the Kings game the other night and the reporters shared their comments and criticism on the game.

"You can call me crazy, but I hope these Ducks stay here on Earth," one reporter said.

"Yeah, I believe they have better skills than any other human player," another replied.

"It's because they practice all the time," Vicki said, but the reporters didn't hear her.

Her food arrived and she tipped the person who brought it up. Vicki took a bite of the pizza, it was good and so was the chamomile tea. After she finished eating, Vicki decided to take a bath as her feet were sore from the drive.

She filled up the tub with hot water and laid in it. Vicki felt like falling asleep in the tub, but she used the hotel's bar of soap and cleaned her skin. When the water became luke warm, Vicki got out and drained the tub. She dried off and dressed herself in a blue nightshirt that had snowflake patterns on it.

It was still light out, but Vicki needed the sleep. After brushing her teeth, Vicki closed the drapes of the window and checked her phone. She started to think; once she got out of Little Rock, she would go through the middle part of Oklahoma and through north Texas. After typing in a few keys, Vicki read that she could reach Flagstaff, Arizona in 17 hours.

Vicki began to think; if she left Little Rock at around 5 in the morning she might arrive in Flagstaff at around 11 at night. Vicki decided to back track and placed in the driving distance to Santa Fe, New Mexico. She always wanted to see Santa Fe and it would be better for her to spend the night there.

Vicki made up her mind, then she put the phone away, and went under the bed sheets and turned out the light. Vicki was fast asleep within moments.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Like the morning before, Vicki's iPhone buzzed and the young woman shut it off. Instead of getting up right away, Vicki laid on the bed for a few more minutes.

She had a good night's rest, apart from having a few confusing dreams once in a while. The first dream was of Vicki falling into a deep, dark abyss. It seemed to never end, but all around Vicki were bright stars.

Vicki was no expert on dreams, but she had a friend named Elisa who was an expert on them. She remembered that an abyss symbolizes the person's subconscious and if someone fell into an abyss, the person is actually looking into uncertainty of his/her feelings. The stars, however, symbolized success or the person's desire for fame and fortune. Vicki decided to stick to the success part.

The second dream was of Vicki, again, this time she answered a ringing phone. Someone on the other line said, "Miss Payne, we're sorry to inform you, but your résumé didn't meet our qualifications." Vicki knew what that meant, she was being rejected, but from what?

The last one was of Vicki and she was looking at an old freight train. It hissed steam and Vicki boarded into the one car it had. No one else was on it and the train moved forward. Vicki took a seat in the back of the car and she felt very lonely.

The young woman began to think about this one. Elisa said that a freight train represents a person's burdens that he/she has been carrying around. The empty car could be of fruitless labor or no effort towards a relationship.

Vicki began to piece the dreams together. First, her subconscious may be feeling some uncertainty, but it knows that would be a bright future ahead. Second, Vicki felt like she was being rejected, maybe from the job of strategist for the Mighty Ducks. Finally, Vicki might be carrying burdens on her back if she was not hired.

The young woman stood up from the bed, placing her toes on the carpet, and she stretched her hands up to the ceiling.

She freshened up in the bathroom and put new clothes on. This time, she wore a blue dress with white flower patterns on it. She also wore a sleeveless denim jacket and slip-on shoes.

Vicki gathered up her things and headed out the door, leaving the card key on the desk in the room.

She went to her car, it was a bit chilly outside, and she placed her duffle and toiletry bags in the back, and got into the driver's seat. Vicki was thinking, again, this time where she can go for breakfast. Some places don't open until later than 5 am. However, there was an IHOP a little further away and it was opened for 24 hours.

Vicki turned on the engine and went out of the hotel's parking lot. She located the IHOP, there were some cars and a big semi-truck in the lot. "Must be early birds," Vicki said to herself.

She went into a space and went into the restaurant. At the front counter, a woman about Vicki's age looked up at her. "Good morning, is it just you?" she asked and Vicki nods.

The hostess grabbed a menu and led Vicki to a booth. Vicki saw five other people; two couples, and a lone man, and Vicki suspected that he was the truck driver.

"Your waiter will be here shorty," the hostess said as Vicki sat down. Radio music played on the intercom and Vicki looked over the menu.

Since she had pancakes yesterday, Vicki decided to have crepes and add a fruit bowl to it with apple juice.

"Morning, miss," a male voice said and Vicki looked up to see a middle-aged Caucasian man with short brown hair and light brown eyes. "Name's Roger. Did you have enough time to look over the menu?" he asked.

"Yeah," Vicki replied and placed in her order, "I'll have crepes with strawberry toppings and can I have a fruit bowl as a side?"

"Sure, and would you like coffee?" Roger asked, but Vicki shakes her head.

"I'll have apple juice," she said and Roger wrote down the order and left, taking Vicki's menu.

Vicki took a quick peek at her iPhone and saw that there was a text message from her mom.

It read:

"_Dearest Vicki, I felt guilty in not seeing you off to California. How was the drive yesterday? Aunt Violet said you are in Little Rock or were. Where are you heading to now? I hope you stop in Santa Fe. The place is amazing! If you do, tour the downtown area, do it at night, you'll not regret it!_

_Love you!_

_Mom_

"Great minds think alike I suppose," Vicki said to herself as her juice arrived.

The young woman looked around, eyeing the two couples and the lone man. One of the couples got up from their table, paid for their meal, and left the restaurant.

To Vicki's surprise, the couple got into the semi-truck and left the lot. She looked at the lone man, he was maybe at least sixty years old and he wore a long-sleeved shirt. He was reading a newspaper, but Vicki sensed something was not right.

When Vicki's food arrived, she asks Roger, "Who is that man?"

"That's Fred Zolton, he comes here every other week. His wife died two months ago, they were an inseparable couple, until Naomi got cancer. He never recovered after she passed," Roger explained and leaves Vicki.

Vicki felt very sad for Mr. Zolton, losing someone you love was always a horrible blow to anyone's heart, especially for some people who had long, loving marriages.

She ate her breakfast rather slowly, watching Mr. Zolton. He would ask for refills on his coffee and told his waitress that he was not finished with his meal, but Vicki suspected that he lost his appetite. When her dad died, her stomach felt like a lump and she didn't want to eat anything for a week.

When she finished eating, Mr. Zolton was still at his table, staring at the same page in the paper, and barely touched his food.

"Here you go, anything else I can get for you?" Roger asked.

"Yes, can I get Mr. Zolton's check?" Vicki whispered and the waiter looked at her in surprise, but he nods. A few seconds later, Roger gave Vicki the check for Mr. Zolton.

She leaves the booth and goes up to the register to pay for both meals. "What you're doing is the best thing anyone has done for Fred," the hostess said and brought up the total.

Vicki handed some cash and gave Roger a generous tip. "Should I tell Mr. Zolton? Or do you want to be anonymous?" the hostess asked.

"Anonymous," Vicki replied and leaves the restaurant. When she got to her car, Vicki let the tears fall from her eyes, and cried for a few minutes. A lot of emotions were running through her head, fear, uncertainty, and sadness.

After gaining her composure, Vicki turned on the engine and left the lot, resuming her journey west.

()()()()()()()

The sun rose, but still touched the horizon. Vicki was out of Little Rock and was nearing the Arkansas/Oklahoma line. During the drive, Vicki had the window down, letting in the cold wind, but that kept her awake.

Thankfully, she didn't run into morning traffic on the highway and the ride was smooth. Vicki went through her radio and found the sports channel. Lucky for her, the DJ's were discussing the upcoming game with the Ducks verses the San Jose Sharks.

"After the last game, I have a feeling that the Ducks are going to send the Sharks back to the sea!" one of them exclaimed and Vicki agreed to that.

"Do you guys think that the Ducks can make hockey history by winning another Stanley Cup?" another asked and Vicki listened.

"I think they would make history if they win 25 Stanley Cups!" a third DJ exclaimed.

"Now, I think the Ducks would be...very old if they ever go after a 25th Stanley Cup," the first one replied.

"Well, if they win every year, 24 years in a row, but then, yes they'll probably retire way before than," the second commented.

Vicki agreed that the Ducks would retire, but there was the definite possibility of them returning to their home planet, way before achieving at least 25 Stanley Cups. She would hate for the alien ducks to leave, but they were willing to return to Puckworld.

It would be fascinating for Vicki to see Puckworld or maybe, just maybe, become the first human to set foot on the planet.

Vicki found herself in Oklahoma City way before lunch time, which meant she was making good progress on her drive. Then, she noticed her gas gage was really low. As usual, Vicki found a station, paid for the gas, and filled up her car.

When she got back in her car, she looked at her iPhone. She called her Aunt Violet. "Hello?" the woman answered.

"Hi Aunt Violet," Vicki replied and her aunt shrieked when she heard her niece.

"Hi sweetie! Where are you? Where did you sleep last night?" the woman asked. Vicki explained what she did yesterday and where she slept last night and where she planned to go next.

"Santa Fe! Oh! Your mother and I went there during our spring break in college! It is beautiful! You need to see downtown at night! Oh, you need to stay at the Santa Fe Bed and Breakfast, it is truly amazing!" Aunt Violet exclaimed.

"How do I do that? I'm sure they'll take reservations," Vicki said.

"Leave that to me, I'll text you the address and what room I got for you," Aunt Violet replied and adds, "And please, please, walk around the place!"

"I know, I know, I'll do just that," Vicki said and then told her what happened this morning.

"Oh the poor man. That was a selfless act you did and I am sure he will be thinking about you," Aunt Violet said to her niece. "Have a good drive, love you," Aunt Violet replied and they hung up.

Vicki resumed her drive west, passing by little vegetated land. A little later, Vicki realized she was getting hungry and she was now in Clinton. She didn't want to spend much, so she located a Subway and went in.

She ordered a Veggie Delite and a water. The place was half-full and Vicki ate her sandwich in peace and she checked her iPhone, again, no messages. Vicki finished her lunch and went on her way.

Awhile later, Vicki found herself in Amarillo, Texas. The city was nothing like Little Rock or Oklahoma City, it was a bit smaller with some metropolitan buildings and little business places. Out on the sidewalks, Vicki saw horse statues that were painted in different colors or patterns. They were pretty and Vicki felt like playing on them, but she shook her head.

However, Vicki spotted a horse statue that was painted with Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'. She went into a space and got out of the car, taking her iPhone. She took a picture of the horse.

"Excuse me?" a voice said from behind and Vicki turned to see a man with a full beard and he wore an apron. "Would you like for me to take a picture with you and the statue?" he asked.

"Sure," Vicki replied, handing her iPhone over to him.

The man took a few pictures and gave back the phone. "Would you mind if I ask why there are horse statues around here?" Vicki said.

"Courtesy of the The American Quarter Horse Association and Center City of Amarillo. They do art projects such as creating these horse statues for the businesses here. I suspect they catch people's attention and I must say they do," the man said and smiles and then walks away.

Vicki returned to her car, just as her iPhone buzzed. It was a message from Aunt Violet.

_Vicki, I got you a room at the El Paradero B&B for tonight! It's Room#3, the same room where your mom and I used during our spring break! Have a good time! -Aunt Violet_

Aunt Violet also sent the B&B's address and Vicki placed into her GPS. From what Vicki understood, her Aunt Violet had a good time in Santa Fe along with Vicki's mom.

Vicki was out of Amarillo in a short amount of time. She then entered New Mexico by mid-afternoon and she looked at the landscape. It was more like a desert with red sand and little bushes were spotted here and there.

Finally, Vicki entered Santa Fe just as rush hour traffic began, but like Little Rock, there was barely any cars on the road. Her GPS showed her the way to the B&B, but she went through the downtown area and it was amazing. Instead of metropolitan buildings, there were pueblo style buildings and Vicki passed old Spanish style cathedrals.

"Mom and Aunt Violet were not kidding!" Vicki exclaimed to herself. She reached her destination and Vicki saw that it was half-pueblo and half-modern on the outside, but she was looking forward to seeing the inside.

Once she located a parking space, Vicki took her purse, duffle bag, and her toiletry bag and walked through pueblo style doors. There was an outdoor patio with white painted iron chairs under umbrellas and the stones under Vicki's feet were smooth and she walked into the lobby. She almost fainted when she saw the interior of the lobby. The walls were painted a warm red-purple color and there was a kiva-style fireplace. Polished pine furniture laid out and some pillows with Latin American patterns laid on the sofas and chairs.

"Welcome!" the woman at the desk exclaimed and Vicki walked up. "Do you have a reservation with us?" the woman asked.

"Yes, my aunt made the reservation for Room#3, the last name is Payne," Vicki replied and the woman looked through her computer.

"Here we go, Victoria Payne," she said and hands Vicki a key. "A few things to remember; breakfast is served every morning starting at 7 and check-out time is 10. And I recommend that you walk around Santa Fe, instead of driving; there are a lot of shops and restaurants to choose, but you'll have a hard time choosing of where to go to dinner," the woman explained and Vicki chuckled.

Vicki located her room and opened the door. When she entered in, she nearly passed out. The walls were painted a lilac color, there was a kiva-style fireplace in one corner that had Latin American patterns painted over the fireplace, and there was a wrought iron queen size bed.

Vicki walked over a brick tile floor and placed her bags on a chair beside the bed. She looked into the bathroom real quick; it was also painted lilac with a decorated tile sink. She laid down on the bed and couldn't help but yelp a cry of glee.

However, Vicki decided not to sit around in the room, there was a lot of exploring to do! She grabbed her purse and the room key and headed out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Vicki was having an amazing time in downtown Santa Fe. She walked around the area, seeing old pueblo buildings, including the Palace of the Governors and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

Vicki went into the cathedral and immediately fell in love with the place. Vicki loved Saint Francis as he was the patron saint of animals and she thanked him for preaching humans about loving God's creatures.

There were other people in the cathedral, some were in the pews praying and others were taking photos of the place.

Vicki took pictures with her iPhone and after that, she went into a pew. She knelt down and began to pray.

She prayed that God would help her in achieving her dream and also help her get the job she desired. Vicki also added in that God would help her in forming a friendship with the Mighty Ducks and perhaps a romance with Duke L'Orange.

Vicki left the cathedral and looked at her watch as it was almost sunset. Since it was summertime, the sun did not set until much later, but Vicki was hungry.

If she was going to find a good place for dinner, she wanted the locals' opinion. Vicki began to walk, looking in through shop windows.

However, she did not have to ask anyone because there was a restaurant in front of her. The place was called *Relaje El Tiempo. Vicki took little Spanish in high school, but if she was right, it translated into English, "Relaxation Time".

"Might as well give it a shot," Vicki said to herself and she went in.

The outside of the restaurant was of a pueblo style building painted white with potted prickly plants on the sills of the open windows. Inside the restaurant, the walls were painted a warm red color, old wooden beams held up the ceiling, and the tables were made of tiles that had southwestern patterns.

"Welcome to Relaje El Tiempo!" the hostess said and that caught Vicki's attention.

"Sorry, didn't realize that you were looking around," the hostess replied and they both chuckled.

"Is it okay if I take an outside table?" Vicki asked and the hostess looks through the seating chart.

"Follow me," the hostess replied, taking a menu and leads Vicki to the outside patio. The tables were the same as the ones inside and Vicki sat down at one close to the low barrier.

Vicki looked over the menu and was eager to try the veggie quesadilla, but she wanted to try the homemade salsa. A waitress came and took her order.

Vicki took out her iPhone and looked in the Safari to see if anything came up. She discovered an article about the Ducks' busting a jewelry heist last night and just this morning, the Saurians had caused mayhem in Anaheim by damaging public property. The Ducks had thwarted their antics but the Saurians teleported away as usual.

"They just never give up," Vicki said to herself, just as her appetizer and drink arrived.

Then, her phone buzzed and Vicki it was her aunt calling and she answered. "Hi sweetie, did you make it to Santa Fe?" Aunt Violet asked.

"I did and right now, I'm walking around the town, but I stopped for dinner. Have you ever been to Relaje El Tiempo, it's a restaurant," Vicki replied.

"Your mom and I tried to go there, but it was always packed, so you tell me, how is it?" Aunt Violet asked, again.

"Hold on, I haven't tried this salsa yet," Vicki said, taking a tortilla chip and scooped up some salsa and ate it. "Oh wow, this is good," she replied, but the spiciness kicked in and she drank her water.

"When do you think you'll reach Anaheim?" Aunt Violet asked. Vicki began to think; she still needed to go through the rest of New Mexico and Arizona, and she checked the driving time on the Safari.

"If I leave around 8 tomorrow morning, I might get to Anaheim by 7 in the evening," Vicki answered.

"Alright, you call me when you get there," Aunt Violet said.

"Aunt Violet, did you get any calls about the job I applied to?" Vicki asked.

"No, I haven't, sorry," the woman answered and Vicki's stomach dropped. If she and her aunt didn't get any calls from Phil Palmfeather, it was likely that he didn't choose her as a strategist.

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm sure that he is still thinking. Give it a week and if you don't hear from Mr. Palmfeather, you call him, okay?" Aunt Violet said to her niece.

"Alright, I will," Vicki replied and bid goodbye and hung up. Her dinner arrived and it looked good. In between the two tortilla rolls were some chopped tomatoes, onions, corn, bell peppers and a lot of cheese.

Vicki ate her dinner very slowly as it was the best thing she ever tasted. Once she finished and paid for her meal, it was getting dark, but the pueblos were lighted with candles in paper bags.

Vicki decided to head back to the B&B as she was getting tired and she needed a shower.

Along the way, the pueblo buildings she passed were lighted by the paper bags, and the candles twinkled as if they were stars.

"I'm definitely coming back here when I'm done with my master's," Vicki said to herself.

When she got back to the B&B, it also had paper bags with lighted candles and they lined up on the sidewalk. Vicki went through the lobby and located her room.

She shed her denim jacket and her shoes as her feet were achy. She pulled out her pajamas, toothbrush, hair dryer, and shampoo and went to the bathroom. The shower had beautiful tiles with southwestern patterns and Vicki shut the glass door. She stood under the warm water that sprayed on her and washed her hair.

"Tomorrow's the big day," Vicki said to herself, "Please God, please, help me get that job," she added. When Vicki was finished, including blow-drying her hair and brushing her teeth, she got into her pajamas and she opened the window a crack, letting in a cool breeze from outside.

Vicki went in between the sheets on the bed, they were cool and the young woman was asleep in less than a minute.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Vicki was not sure how long she slept, but she was now wide awake in the bed. She looked at her iPhone's clock; it read 6:58 am.

"I might as well get up and get ready to go," she said to herself, raising her arms up to the ceiling. Once she was out of bed, Vicki went through her duffle bag, pulling out dark blue denim pants, a white t-shirt, and a short-sleeve denim jacket.

Vicki quickly brushed her silky hair and added a hand-band and slipped into her shoes. Grabbing her belongings, Vicki took one last look around the beautiful room and shut the door.

She took her bags to her car and went back into the B&B where she can smell something cooking. Vicki located the dining room and sat at a table with three other people.

"Hi there," she said to the others.

"Good morning," an elderly woman replied.

There were some plates and silverware on the table and Vicki realized that she was hungry. Then a woman with dark tan skin and ebony hair tied in a pigtail came out with a bowl that had food.

"Huevos Suroeste," the woman said and Vicki looked in the bowl. From what she can see, the food contained black beans, crushed tortilla chips, salsa, scrambled eggs, cheese, and cilantro.

Vicki braved herself in taking a spoonful of the strange concoction. The three other table mates watched Vicki as she took a bite of the food. Vicki's face lit up and her taste buds went crazy.

"This is really good," she commented and the others filled their plates with the dish.

The woman came back with plates of what looked like pancakes, but were topped with chopped olives, tomatoes, and onions. Vicki took a little bite, but her face lit up, again as she tasted the cornmeal in the pancakes.

After finishing her breakfast, Vicki bid goodbye and thanked the cook for the delicious meal and returned the key to the front desk.

When she got to her car, it was close to 8 o'clock. Vicki placed in the apartment's address and it showed the arrival time at around 7 in the evening. There was a cool breeze in the air and Vicki had the windows down while she drove through Santa Fe, looking for a gas station. Her tank was a quarter full and she hated to get stranded in the desert.

Vicki located a local gas station and pulled beside a pump. "Good morning," a service man said to her. "How may I help you?" he asked.

"I need to fill up my tank, all the way," Vicki replied and unlocked her gas tank. The service man placed the pump in and filled it up. When he was done, he said, "That'll be 14.50."

Vicki pulled out a five and ten bills and says, "Keep the change."

"Thank you and have a safe drive," the service man replied and Vicki headed out.

She was in the desert in less than five minutes. There was nothing, apart from red colored sand and a few tumble weeds. Vicki was sure that she saw a few rock formations, but she thought they were mirages.

There was nothing on the radio as it only received static, so Vicki turned it off. She reached the Arizona state-line a little before 10 and kept going. A few minutes later, she noticed a sign that welcomed her to the Petrified Forest National Park.

"This will be on my list of places to go," Vicki said to herself and continued driving.

Vicki reached Flagstaff a little after 12 and the sun was bearing down on her, making it hot. Despite the fact that she didn't feel hungry, Vicki decided to stop for a quick bite and a drink in order to keep up her strength.

She located a small vegetarian restaurant, it wasn't fancy and it wasn't too expensive. She ordered a coconut curry stew as she was eager to try something new. Once Vicki got her lunch, she loved the taste of it as the stew was served over quinoa and it had a nice natural coconut flavor.

When Vicki returned to her car, she made a mental note that she will not stop except for gas, as she was eager to reach Anaheim as soon as possible.

Before leaving, she checked her phone, no messages. Vicki decided to call her roommates, hopefully someone will answer at the apartment. She heard the other line ringing and someone did pick up.

"Hello, this is Spencer and the gang," the young college graduate said.

"Hi Spencer, this is Vicki," she said and the other girls squealed in the background.

"Hey Vicki, how are you?" Spencer asked.

"I'm fine, I just wanted to tell you that I, hopefully, will arrive in Anaheim by 7:30 this evening," Vicki answered.

"Oh that's wonderful, we'll save you some dinner. Do you like lasagna, it's vegan by the way, Emily's recipe," Spencer replied.

"That sounds great, thank you. I'll see you this evening," Vicki said and they bid goodbye and hung up.

Vicki then headed back to the highway and resumed her journey toward California. She passed through more desert and barren landscapes. She had to turn on the AC as it was getting brutally hot outside the car.

She finally the California line by 3 and noticed that her gas gage was almost empty. "If I went any further without noticing, I would've been in deep trouble," Vicki said to herself.

She was able to locate a Shell station and filled up her tank as usual and headed back out. Vicki passed through more parks and little towns and by 5, she turned her car southwest.

Vicki than saw the vast landscape of the city of San Bernardino and she was relived that she didn't hit any rush hour traffic. She then entered Riverside, but kept going until she spotted the welcome sign for Anaheim.

"Finally," Vicki said to herself.

She could see the towering buildings and the Santa Ana Canyon beyond the horizon. True to the GPS's word, she reached the apartment at 7:28. She located the reserved space meant for her car and turned off the ignition, her journey was over.

She got out of her car, taking a few of her things and went inside the apartment. The building was brand new with a glass front and the carpet was spotless and so were the tiles.

Vicki located the elevator and pushed the up button and entered in. It went to the very top where the only apartment room was the penthouse. Vicki knocked on the door and it opened.

"There she is!" a young girl with a heart-shaped face and piercing baby blue eyes exclaimed. Vicki hugged Hanna and everyone else joined in.

"You made it!" Aria replied and Vicki entered in. The penthouse apartment was beautiful with big glass windows overlooking the city. White cushioned furniture circled around a polished coffee table and a flat-screen TV hung on the wall above a fireplace. A set of stairs led up to the rooms. There was also a pool outside the glass doors.

"Now, you sit down and eat, we'll bring in your stuff," Alison said to Vicki, leading her to the kitchen. The kitchen was big with wooden cabinets and a table with stools.

"But I want to help," Vicki replied.

"No, no, no, you had a long drive. Now sit down and eat," Alison ordered and Vicki handed over her car keys. The girls left and Vicki found a plate of vegan lasagna in the fridge. She reheated it and began to eat, it was really good and she could taste the spinach that replaced the meat.

She located the apartment's phone and called her aunt. "Hello, is this Vicki?" Aunt Violet asked.

"Yes it is," Vicki replied.

"Did you make it?" Aunt Violet asked, again. "Wait, scratch that, you did!" she exclaimed. Then, one by one, the girls re-entered in the apartment with Vicki's stuff, including the sewing machine.

"Do you want me to get that?" Vicki asked Aria, who was struggling to hold it up.

"No, I got it," Aria replied and headed up the stairs.

"Aunt Violet, I should go and help the girls bring in my stuff," Vicki said to her aunt.

"Of course, call back tomorrow, please," Aunt Violet replied and hung up. Vicki helped with Aria and they took the sewing machine into Vicki's new room.

It was a beautiful room, like the apartment with a polished wooden floor, a white carpet was underneath the queen size bed, and the giant window overlooked the city of Anaheim.

Vicki continued to help out with bringing her stuff in and when everything was out, she locked up her car.

"Hey Vicki," Mona said as she helped Vicki unpack her things. "Did you hear anything from...what's his name? Phil something?"

"Phil Palmfeather and no I haven't," Vicki answered.

"Don't worry," Emily said, "I'm sure he is still thinking and I know Vicki will get that job."

Just then, the phone rang and Spencer answered it. "Yeah, I'll get her," she said to the person and placed the phone down on the table. "Vicki," she whispered in an excited voice, "You won't believe who is on the phone."

Vicki knew what that meant and she rushed to the phone and picked it up. "Hello, this is Victoria McCray," she said in a calm voice.

"Miss McCray, hi, this is Philip Palmfeather," the manager for the Mighty Ducks replied and continues, "Sorry, I meant to call you some time ago."

"No, it's all right. In fact, I just got here," Vicki said.

"Oh, you're settling in? Good, well, I was hoping that maybe you could come in for a tour of the stadium and meet the Ducks, say tomorrow maybe, if it's not too much," Phil replied and Vicki nearly lost it.

"Actually tomorrow sounds good," she answered and nearly jumped on her two feet and the other girls could tell that this was a good sign.

"Alright, I'll see you around 11, is that okay?" Phil asked and Vicki says yes. They bid goodbye and Vicki gently placed the phone down on its cradle and then, gave a cry of glee and raised her arms to the ceiling.

"Oh my God! You got it!" Emily exclaimed and everyone joined in a congratulatory hug for Vicki.

"This calls for a celebration! Everyone, to Baskin Robbins!" Spencer ordered and they grabbed their purses and headed out.

It was a short walk to the ice cream place and the girls told Vicki to get whatever she wanted as the treat was on them. Vicki got herself cookie dough in a cone and she licked it as soon as she got it.

"Oh, you are so lucky, Vicki!" Mona said and ate a spoonful of mint chocolate chip.

"Yeah, I really want to meet that Wildwing, he is handsome," Emily replied, taking a lick of her rum raisin.

"Actually, I think Duke is the handsome one," Spencer said as she took a bite of her world class chocolate.

"To be honest, all the male Ducks are handsome, in fact, I find them more handsome than any of the boyfriends I had," Aria replied and the girls nodded.

"It would be wonderful for you Vicki to be good friends to them," Hanna said to Vicki.

"And it would be wonderful if we get free tickets to their games," Alison replied.

When they finished, the girls returned to the apartment, and Spencer says to Vicki, "You should get some sleep, you had a long drive and you have a big day tomorrow."

"I agree," Vicki replied and she headed up to her room. She sheds her day clothes and got into some clean pajamas and took her dirty clothes down to the washing machine.

"I'll get it when it's done," Hanna said to Vicki when she started her load.

Vicki went back to her room and laid down on the bed. She felt excitement brewing inside her and she was begging for the night to go by quick and she went to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Vicki woke up with butterflies in her stomach. Today was the big day for her, but she would be really happy if Phil Palmfeather offered her the job.

The young woman stepped out of bed and rolled her toes on the floor. She took a peek out of the large window of her new bedroom.

The buildings outside were shining off their white plaster and the trees were a nice shade of dark green.

Vicki looked through her best clothes and pulled out a nice purple shirt and kaki shorts. She also pulled out a white blouse and slip on shoes. She also pulled out clean underwear and clean bra.

Vicki hurried off to the shower. The bathroom was made of marble with a nice white marble sink and tub. There was also a shower with a glass door and Vicki went in. She stood under a rainfall of warm water and she could feel the butterflies in her stomach, again.

After washing off sweat and grim from her skin and shampooing her hair, Vicki dried off and got into her clothes. Vicki went down to the kitchen where there was no one else. She wasn't feeling very hungry, but Vicki needed her strength, so she looked through the cupboards for anything to eat.

Vicki made a mental note to stop at the grocery store for her own food after touring the hockey stadium. She found some oatmeal and fresh blueberries in the fridge. She added milk and some cinnamon and heated the oatmeal and added some blueberries.

Vicki slowly ate her breakfast, but she felt sick to her stomach. She was too excited, she knew that, but she kept telling herself, "Don't get your hopes up."

"Hey Vicki," a voice said from the doorway and Vicki saw Spencer, wearing a night shirt and she rubbed her eyes.

"Hi Spencer," Vicki replied and the young woman noticed Vicki's oatmeal.

"You nervous?" Spencer asked and Vicki nods.

"You know what you should do? Do some meditation," Spencer answered.

"Yeah, I do that, but I also do breathing exercises," Vicki replied.

"I think you should do some yoga, or do you?" Spencer asked, again, but Vicki shakes her head. "I'll tell you what; I'm going to do an online search for yoga classes around the area, maybe they do it at the rec center," Spencer said.

"Will you? That will be great!" Vicki replied and took a spoonful of oatmeal.

"Here, take this and put it on the iPod player over the TV speakers," Spencer said, handing Vicki her iPod nano, "You'll find yoga music in its own category."

"Thank you so much," Vicki replied and gives a depressed sigh over her unfinished oatmeal.

"Do you mind if I have the rest? I'm actually kind of hungry this morning," Spencer said and Vicki hands over her bowl to Spencer. Vicki left the kitchen and went into the living room and located the iPod player.

She got into a meditated position and listened to the flowing sound of Tibetan bells and gongs. Almost immediately, Vicki felt she was transported to a bamboo forest. Vicki breathed deeply and felt her nerves subside.

Vicki did her meditation for about an hour and finished when the other girls got up. It was close to 10:30 and Vicki decided to head on out for the Pond.

"You know what they say, break a leg," Aria said to Vicki when she was about to walk out the door.

Vicki walked down the street with the sun bearing down on her, but there was a nice cool breeze blowing. Vicki decided to call her aunt and tell her the news.

"Oh, I am sure he will hire you!" Aunt Violet exclaimed and Vicki had to move her phone away from her ear. Finally, Vicki saw the stadium and her heart began to pound.

"I got to go, I'm almost at the stadium," Vicki said to her aunt.

"Let me know how it goes!" Aunt Violet replied, excitingly and they hung up.

Vicki went up to the front glass doors, she stared at her reflection, took a deep breath, and went inside. There were box office windows and Vicki saw conveyance stands that were closed.

"Can I help you?" a young man in a green shirt with the Ducks' logo on the left side asked.

"Yes, I'm here to see the manager, Phil Palmfeather?" Vicki said.

"Look no further!" a friendly voice exclaimed and Vicki saw the obese man, wearing a business suit and a tie that did not match. "You must be Victoria McCray," he added and they shook hands.

"Yes, I am," Vicki answered.

"You got here just in time, the Ducks are about to go out on the ice for practice, follow me," Phil said and showed towards the arena.

Vicki was hit by a wall of cold air and she rubbed her shoulders, "I should've brought a sweater," she said and Phil chuckled.

"You'll get use to it," he replied and he shows the way to the Ducks' locker room. Vicki's nerves started up, again, but she breathed in deeply and followed Phil.

"Boobies!" Phil exclaimed and the Ducks looked at him.

"Hey Phil, what is going on?" Vicki heard Wildwing ask.

"Ducks, I like you to meet Victoria McCray," Phil replied and Vicki showed herself to the Ducks.

The Ducks stared at her with curiosity and Wildwing walks up to her, hand held out, "Hello Miss McCray, I'm Wildwing," he said and she shook his hand.

"No need to tell me, I know all your names," Vicki replied and says each of their names out loud. She stopped to stare at the one eye, ex-con, Duke L'Orange.

"Hello beautiful," he said and Vicki felt every hair on her body go up.

"I don't mean to brag, but I saw your application and noticed your associates degree in computer science," Tanya said, "We both have something in common."

"Do we really need any more geniuses added to this team?" Nosedive asked, but everyone shushed him. Vicki was confused by this and looks at Phil.

"Okay, I want to hire you, but I was going to tell you after you strategize with their practice," the manager said, "But we need your word."

_'Oh my God!'_ Vicki's thoughts shouted, but she didn't say them out loud. "Yes, I would be more than happy to join your team," she answered.

"Excellent," Wildwing replied and they headed out onto the ice.

"Okay, let me think," Vicki said to the Ducks and Phil hands her a clipboard with blank paper. She drew on the first piece, circles, dots, lines, and other things. "Canard, Nosedive, and Mallory, I would like for you three to pretend you're the Sharks, Wildwing you be their goalie. Tanya, Grin, and Duke, you are to avoid them and pass the puck," Vicki said, showing her sketch.

Canard and Duke went to the center to retrieve the puck, but Duke got it first. He skated away with, but he did not pass the puck to his other teammates.

"Duke, what are you doing?" Tanya asked, but Duke skated away toward Wildwing at high speed.

Vicki had no idea what Duke was doing and she didn't like it. Just then, Duke took a hard swing at the puck, sending it flying, and Wildwing jumped out of the way to avoid getting hurt.

"Duke, what the heck was that?" the leader demanded.

"Yeah, you were suppose to pass it to us," Grin said to the ex-con.

"Just showing my stuff for the lovely lady," Duke answered and Vicki heard that and blushed.

"You were suppose to stick with the strategy," Mallory informed him, pressing a finger into his chest.

"Okay, try again," Vicki said to them and they re-took their positions. Again, Duke showed off by stealing the puck from Grin and pushed Canard out of the way.

"Duke, are you crazy?!" Canard shouted after him.

"Stop!" Vicki called out, but Duke took the shot. No one applauded, they were irritated, including Vicki and Phil.

"What?" Duke asked and Vicki motioned them to come to her.

"Duke, you are aware that this team does not like show...sh...sh...those who clown around," Tanya said, struggling to say 'show-off'.

"I wasn't clowning around, I just wanted to show the lady my skills," Duke complained.

"I've seen your skills when I watched you on TV, I don't need to see them, again," Vicki replied, getting quite irritated toward Duke.

"Excuse me, I didn't know you have a memory bank," he replied and everyone gasped in horror and Vicki finally lost it.

"I'm sorry, but were you dropped on your head when you were a baby? Or were you just born stupid?!" she said and threw the clipboard to the ground and headed out.

"Way to go, dummy," Nosedive said to Duke.

"Miss McCray, I'm sorry," Phil said and Wildwing also apologized, "We will make sure that Duke won't say stuff like that, again."

"I will not come back until Duke apologizes! Sorry for wasting your time," Vicki replied and left the stadium. The young woman huffed in anger as she walked back toward the apartment. Man, she felt like a fool for admiring Duke, him and his big beak.  
When Vicki got back, she headed straight for her room and plopped down on her bed. "He's such an idiot!" she exclaimed, very angrily.

Her head was pounding and she decided to sleep it off. Later on today, Vicki decided to look for any place that would be hiring, but she hoped that Duke would apologize and she would start working with the Ducks.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Vicki was not sure how long she slept, but she woke up when Allison came into her room and shook her awake. "Vicki, Vicki get up!" Allison ordered.

"What? What?" Vicki asked, rubbing her eyes.

"You won't believe who is waiting out on the patio! A very handsome duck! And it's the ex-con!" Allison exclaimed and pulled Vicki to her feet.

"Oh, Ally," Vicki replied in an irritated voice, "You would not like him, he's an idiot!"

"Oh c'mon!" Allison demanded and pushed Vicki out of her room and led her to the pool area outside. There, Duke had been pacing around, staring at his reflection in the water.

The other girls peeked out to take a look at the handsome duck and grew excited when Vicki stepped out. "Hello Mr. L'Orange," she said, still feeling bitter toward him.

"Hi Miss McCray, uh, is it okay if I call you Vicki?" he asked, but Vicki stared at him.

"I don't know. After what you said, I don't think you should call me by my first name," she replied.

"About what I said," Duke said as he sat down on the cushion seat and Vicki sat down on the next one. "Listen, I have been thinking about it and what I did earlier. I was such a jerk and I should've respected you and your brain," he added.

"Yes, you should've," Vicki replied, still feeling bitter.

"I came here to apologize and make it up to you," Duke said, "If it's too late, I understand, but the team and I would like for you to come back," he added.  
Vicki began to think, Duke did sound sincere with his apology.

"By the way, you are really smart. The team and I did the maneuvers you laid out and they worked. I really do have a thing for smart ladies," Duke said to her. That made Vicki smile and the bitterness inside her faded.

"Alright, what do you have in mind?" she asked, but Duke looks at her.

"You serious?" he asked and Vicki nods. "Are you hungry? I know a great pizza place, authentic Italian I heard," he added and Vicki nods, again and the two of them headed out of the apartment.

()()()()()()()

The pizza place was somewhat crowded as it was the lunch rush, but Vicki and Duke were seated in a booth. Vicki had informed Duke that she preferred spinach and cheese.

"That sounds interesting, I'll give it a shot," the duck replied and they placed their order. The patrons were staring at them, but mostly Duke, including the women.

"It's always embarrassing to see everyone stare at you," Duke said to Vicki.

"Actually, I don't know the feeling," she replied, just as their pizza arrived. Duke took a slice, leaving a trail of cheese, so he bite it off and slurped the cheese trail into his mouth.

"You're disgusting," Vicki commented, but she had to laugh.

"I like being funny," Duke replied, taking a bite, but stretched the cheese out, making Vicki giggle.

"So, I want to hear more about you. I understand that you're from...what is it? Ala...something?" Duke asked.

"Altavista, it's in Virginia," Vicki answered.

"All the way out there? How did you get here? I hope you didn't drive for 36 hours," Duke said, but Vicki nodded.

"Actually, I spent the first night in Little Rock, Arkansas. Not much to see there, well, I didn't go out because I was tired," she explained as she finished her first slice.

"I bet you were. What about the second night, I may not be as smart as you, but I'm guessing you stopped in New Mexico or Arizona?" Duke asked, taking another slice.

"Santa Fe, it was really pretty and I loved the B&B I stayed at," Vicki replied and showed him pictures on her iPhone.

"I always wanted to go to there, but they don't have their own hockey team," Duke said.

"Why not go yourself?" Vicki asked, rather curiously.

"The team needs me, apart from the hockey games, we also got to take care of Dragaunus and his goons," the duck humanoid answered. Vicki realized that she had forgotten about the Ducks' hated enemy.

"Anyway, what was your family like?" Duke asked.

Vicki explained to him about her father, Robert Payne and her step-father, Peter McCray and of their service in the war. "Oh, man, I'm so sorry about your dad. I am sure you miss him every day," Duke said.

"I do," Vicki replies and goes to say more about her mom, her grandparents, and aunt.

"Mind if I ask why your mom and step-dad are in Paris without you?" he asked, again.

"Peter found a job as a translator for a publishing company there and I guess you can say I put my education in front of me," Vicki answered.

"I wished I could've done that," the duck replied.

They finished their lunch and then, the owner of the restaurant came out, "The food is on the house, good luck with the Sharks," he said and he leaves the two.

"Man, I hate it when people do that," Duke said to Vicki when they left.

"Why? You don't like publicity?" she asked and the duck shakes his head.

"I don't like being famous, mainly because I had my due," he replied and he leads her back to her apartment. To Vicki's surprise, Duke held her hand in his own all the way back.

When they got to the apartment, Vicki says to Duke, "Thank you, I had a good time."

"I'm glad to hear that. Out of curiosity, what coffee flavor do you like?" he asked and Vicki gave a curious look.

"French vanilla, why?" she asked.

"Just curious," he answered and they bid goodbye to each. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, Phil would like to know if you are coming back," Duke said.

"I am, what time?" Vicki asked.

"Early, 9am," he replied and she had to chuckle.

"I'll be there," she said and went inside.

When Vicki got to the penthouse, the Liars were all waiting in the living room. "So, how did it go?" Allison asked, excitedly. Vicki sat down and told them the whole story.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

That afternoon, Vicki and the Liars headed out for the local yoga business just down the street from their apartment. "Good idea Spencer, yoga is much better for my headaches," Allison said when they headed out.

They managed to get to the 3 o'clock class and they joined in with the other participants. The whole class did sun salutations, downward dog position, plank poses and other balance exercises. The class finished off by resting off on their mats.

The class finished up and Vicki and the Liars headed out. "I need to go to the grocery store, if you don't mind," Vicki said to the girls.

"I'll go with you," Spencer replied and Emily also volunteered.

The closet food market was just down the block, so Vicki, Spencer, and Emily headed down that way. During the walk, Vicki could've sworn that she heard the Pond's alarm, meaning that the Ducks were heading out to catch a criminal or swindle another of Dragaunus' plots.

Just as Vicki predicted, she, including Spencer and Emily spotted the Aero-Wing, it flew away from the Pond and disappeared behind some white clouds. "Go get 'em, Ducks!" Spencer shouted, although Vicki was sure they would not hear her.

"Would it be fun for you Vicki to go with them on one of their adventures?" Emily asked, but Vicki shook her head.

"They would probably say 'It's too dangerous,' but it would be fun to take down Dragaunus and his lizard swine," she answered.

"I have a feeling that they will be needing you for help," Spencer said, placing a hand on Vicki's shoulder.

The three went to the market, picking out what Vicki needed and what they plan for dinner. "You know, I had this coconut curry when I was in Flagstaff, it was so amazing," Vicki said to the two.

"You would not know the recipe?" Emily asked.

"Leave that to me," Spencer said, taking out her iPhone and checked her Safari. "There is a recipe for coconut vegetable curry, it sounds good, why don't we try it tonight?" Spencer asked and the other two nodded.

They located what was needed for dinner that night and bought the food and headed back to the apartment.

By the time, they got back, the others had been watching a breaking news bulletin. It featured the Ducks, who thwarted Dragaunus' attempt to melt all the snow and ice at the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

"Now that would've caused mudslides everywhere, would it?" Aria asked.

"Yes, and with that, it could've destroyed all the forests surrounding the mountains," Vicki replied.

Then, the camera featured the Ducks returning to the Pond, and some reporters were asking questions about the Saurian ruler's actions that day. "Rest assure that our enemy has been taken care of, for now," Wildwing said to the reporters.

The camera featured each of the Ducks and Vicki and the Liars gave dreamy sighs when they saw Duke. "Hey, when is your next date?" Hanna asked Vicki.

"What? Today was just..." Vicki struggled to think of a word, "Duke just took me out to apologize."

"Oh, I don't think so," Allison replied with a grin, "Very soon, you'll end up as a couple, I can sense it."

Vicki just shook her head and left to take a quick bath before dinner. While Vicki was in the tub, full of warm water, she began to think about what Allison said. Could Vicki and Duke end up as a couple? Or was it too soon to be sure?

After drying off, Vicki got into her PJ's and headed for the kitchen where she got to work on the coconut curry. It did not take her long with the meal and the Liars helped out by setting the table and helping Vicki with the curry.

Everyone took plate fulls of food and took their first bites of the curry. "Wow, this is so good," Emily commented and everyone nodded in agreement.

After finishing the meal, Allison and Aria cleaned up the dishes. "You should go to bed early, tomorrow night is actually the big night for you," Hanna said to Vicki. The young woman couldn't agree more, she was tired and she wanted to go to sleep.

"Oh, my laundry! I have completely forgotten about it," Vicki exclaimed.

"I think they're still in the dryer," Emily replied and Vicki went to the laundry room. To her relief, none of her clothes shrank, but some still needed to be ironed. Vicki started to fold some of the other clothes and started to iron the others.

"I should make some new clothes," Vicki said to herself as she put away the iron and that's when an idea popped into her head. She knew that Phil would give her a shirt as a uniform, but she wasn't sure it would have the Ducks' colors. Not to mention that Phil was no fashion expert.

After taking her clothes up to her room and putting them away, Vicki pulled out some paper and some colored pencils. She began to draw out the shirt, adding in the Ducks' logo, the duck-shaped hockey mask with two hockey sticks on the right side, and she began to think of what colors to use.

Vicki decided to use white for home games and eggplant purple for away games. There was also jade green and Vicki used the color for the sleeves and the string that would hold the shirts together.

"I should go shopping for material after the game," Vicki said, which actually meant two days, but she didn't care. She put away the designs and got ready for bed. The sheets were nice and cozy and Vicki fell asleep in under a minute.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Vicki awoke to the sounds of crackling and booming thunder. A storm had rolled in and the dark clouds made it look like it was still nighttime outside. She looked at her clock, it was close to 8 am and she had to get ready.

Vicki put on some beige colored pants, a blue buttoned shirt, and her favorite slip-on shoes. Just as she stepped into the kitchen, Vicki heard the pounding rain against the windows. She took a quick peek out on the pool; the cushions from the chairs and umbrellas were taken down, but Vicki had no idea where they were.

Rather than figure it out, Vicki went back to the kitchen, locating some eggs and a sliced English muffin. She fried the eggs and toasted the two slices of muffin. She placed the eggs on the two pieces of bread. If Vicki had some hollandaise sauce, she would be in heaven, but she would have to make it herself one day.

Vicki listened to the booming thunder and falling rain as she ate her breakfast. "I believe it's best to take the car," she said to herself. When she finished eating, Vicki took one look out the window, again. It was pouring in thick sheets of rain.

"Oh boy," she said to herself in an annoyed tone. After doing last minute preparations, Vicki grabbed her umbrella, car keys, and purse and heading out the door. "Why didn't I bring my raincoat and boots?" she asked while she walked down the stairs.

When she got to the front lobby door, Vicki took a deep breath, opened her umbrella, and ran out the door. As fast as she could, Vicki got to her car, and went to the driver side door and opened it.

"Not bad," Vicki said to herself when she shut the door. She was a little wet, but that didn't bother her, and she drove to the Pond.

When she got to the parking lot, she spotted the young man she saw the other day wearing a thick rain coat, and he motioned her to bring down her window. "Hey, Miss McCray, right?" he asked and she nods. He handed her what looked like a parking pass that would hang from the interior rear view mirror. "That why you can park close to the entrance. By the way, name's William, but you can call me Will," the young man said.

"And you can call me Vicki," she replied and Will nodded and headed back to the stadium. Vicki found the employee's only parking spots, just as the wind and water came down in bucket-loads.

Vicki took a few deep breaths and got out of her car. The rain was brutal and the wind was like a monster. Just as Vicki locked her car, the wind picked up her umbrella and it flew away. "No!" Vicki called out, watching as her umbrella vanished.

Having no choice, Vicki ran with her purse toward the entrance door, getting soaked to the bone, and managed to get inside. She shivered because the air was on and her soaked skin and clothes made it worse.

She walked her way towards the Ducks' locker room, rubbing her shoulders, but it was very cold. When she got to the locker room, the Ducks were talking to one another until they noticed Vicki.

"Oh my gosh, Vicki, you're completely drenched!" Mallory exclaimed and she and Tanya began to look through the extra jerseys and pants.

"Vicki, what happened?" Duke asked, handing her a coffee cup and Vicki could smell the French vanilla flavor. Vicki took a sips and told the Ducks what happened.

"Take a hot shower and put these on, we'll warm up," Wildwing said to Vicki, almost like a command. Vicki took a pair of sweat pants, a sweatshirt with the Ducks' logo, and a pair of shoes that were big for her feet.

Vicki stood under a shower head as the hot water fell on her and the cold rain water was watched away. When she was done, Vicki located some clean towels and dried off and put the dry clothes and shoes on.

She placed her wet clothes in a plastic bag and located her coffee and headed out to the arena. Vicki watched as the Ducks' warmed up on the ice and she drank her hot coffee.

"How are you now? I hate rain, the wettest thing in the world," Nosedive joked and Vicki laughed.

"Alright Vicki, lets see what your brain has on its mind," Duke said and Vicki gave a smile.

"You know tonight's the night with the Sharks and, let me put it this way, it seems that they brought the ocean with them," she informed them and they knew what that meant.

"I couldn't agree with you more, listen to that rain, sounds like a waterfall," Canard replied and they listened to the pouring rain.

"But I believe we can dry them out," Vicki added and draws on a blank piece of paper. She also gave them information on some of the Sharks' players, such as their strengths and weaknesses. She showed them some strategies and the Ducks went to work on them.

"Duke, can we trust you in not showing off for Vicki?" Grin asked and the Ducks stared at the ex-con.

"Okay, okay, you can trust me. I swear, no showing off," Duke replied.

True to his word, Duke did not clown around. Instead, he passed the puck to his comrades and dodged those who were pretending to be the Sharks. Some of the Ducks were able to score the puck, but sometimes, Wildwing blocked it.

"Very good," Vicki commented, just as Drake 1 sounded the alarm.

"There is a disturbance downtown," Wildwing said and the Ducks changed into their battle wear and they hurried down to Drake 1.

"C'mon Vicki, you should see this," Duke said to the young woman and showed her the way to the Ducks' headquarters.

()()()()()()()

Vicki was amazed by the gigantic, stainless steel room with the enormous super-computer. Tanya went up to the keyboard and typed a few things. She was able to pinpoint where the disturbance was.

"Vicki, stay here, it's too dangerous for you," Wildwing said to the young woman.

"Now hold on Wing," Duke intervened, "She can come along and watch from the sidelines," he added.

"No, no, no, I don't want to be of any trouble," Vicki said.

"Actually, we might need your help, seeing that your a science wiz and all," Tanya encouraged her.

"Alright," Vicki replied and she and the Ducks hurried to the Migrator. The Ducks' big truck's tires burned rubber and it headed out into the storm.

()()()()()()()

People were running and screaming from Dragaunus's robot minions and henchmen. "Hurry up! I want to give these pathetic humans a good show!" the dragon ruler shouted.

A machine was pulled into the center of the city's square. The machine had a lightning rod at the top and whenever it was struck, bolts of electricity would burst out of the other, much smaller rods and destroy anything in its wake.

The Migrator screeched to a halt and the Ducks scurried out to take on the robots, while Vicki watched. She noticed the machine and was intrigued by it.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came down and made contact with the rod. A burst of electricity shot out from the other rods and the Ducks were hit by it, getting zapped in the process.

"A very clever idea! Burning you Ducks from the inside!" Wraith cried out with a grim laugh. Vicki realized what the machine was and what Dragaunus planned to do; the machine was to harbor the lightning and use it to kill the Ducks by electrocution.

"They haven't seen me, okay, I wonder if I can dismantle it somehow," Vicki said to herself and watched as the Ducks got to their feet. Lightning struck the machine, again, but the Ducks were able to get away from being hit.

"Ducks, come here!" Vicki said in a whisper and they hid behind a building. "Since Dragaunus and his goons have not seen me, I might be able to get to the machine and dismantle it," she said to them.

"No Vicki, it's very dangerous, you might get hit," Wildwing informed her, but Vicki looks at Tanya.

"Do you a rubber suit or something?" she asked and Tanya went back into the Migrator and returned with a rubber suit.

"I thought this might come in handy," the science wiz Duck said and Vicki suited herself up.

"I need you to distract them as long as possible," she said to them and Tanya handed over her Omi-tool.

"Take this, it might be of some help," Tanya replied and the Ducks went out into the open.

"You have a lot of guts, you Ducks, too bad, we're going to burn them!" Siege shouted and charged at them. With Dragaunus' goons distracted, Vicki was able to get to the machine without being noticed by the dragon king.

Lucky for her, the machine stood a few feet off the ground, giving her some space for her to work. Using Tanya's Omi-tool, Vicki was able to open up the bottom, revealing many wires. She then heard thunder, that was not good; another bolt of lightning was sure to come and hit the machine.

Vicki had little time to dismantle the machine, so, she grabbed a handful of wires and cut them. The machine died at that moment and Vicki got away just as the machine collapsed.

"What the?!" Dragaunus shouted in dismay as he saw the ruined machine. Vicki was about to turn away, when she suddenly felt the sense that someone was behind her.

"Well, hello pretty lady," Chameleon chuckled as he held up his blaster. Vicki stared at the gun, she was not sure if the lizard was going to shoot her, but her heart pounded very fast.

"Hey!" someone shouted and in a flash, Duke body slammed into Chameleon, sending the Saurian flying. "Wow, what a ride," Chameleon said, rubbing the side of his head.

"Vicki are you okay?" Duke asked and the young woman nods.

"And who are you?" Dragaunus demanded when he saw Vicki. Duke placed himself in front of her and held up his saber.

"Lizard lips!" Wildwing shouted and the dragon king to face the Ducks' leader, "Say hello to our newest member of our team, Vicki. And now, it's time for you to go," he added. The Ducks shot out pucks from their blasters, causing the Saurians and the robot minions to retreat.

"I'll be back, Ducks! I'll be back!" Dragaunus shouted and he teleported away.

The Ducks turned their attention to Vicki and surrounded her, cheering and Duke raised her off her feet. "Vicki, that was pure genius! Thank you!" Canard commented.

Just then, the storm clouds rolled away, revealing the bright sun. Vicki shed the rubber suit and gave it and the Omi-tool back to Tanya. "Good work team, but especially you Vicki," Wildwing said and shook her hand.

()()()()()()()()

Awhile later, Vicki and the Ducks returned to the Pond, resuming their practice, but the game was still hours away. "Vicki, why don't you go home and find some new clothes for tonight," Duke said to her.

"Yeah, you're right. I also need to run a quick errand," Vicki replied and went on her way.

"See you tonight," Duke added as Vicki gathered her wet clothes and headed out.

Vicki left the stadium and headed out to find a clothing store. When she did find one, she knew what to get, and she was able to find white, green, gold, and eggplant purple cloth. She then returned home, threw her wet clothes in the washer, and went to work on her uniform.

Vicki was able to create a white, buttoned shirt with the Ducks' logo on the left side, using her sewing machine. The shirt was exactly as she pictured it.

"Wow!" Mona exclaimed when she saw the finished piece. "I never knew you make your own clothes," she added and Vicki smiled.

Finding some clean pants, Vicki put on the new shirt, and felt good when she saw herself in the mirror. "It will probably be better than what Phil planned on getting," she said to herself.

"Oh, I'm so nervous about the game," Emily said to the others, "Aren't you Vicki?" she asked.

"A little," she answered and she waited until it was time to go back to the Pond.

()()()()()()

That evening, hockey fans arrived at the Pond, eager to see the Ducks verses the Sharks. Vicki was able to locate the Ducks in their locker room.

"Vicki, where did you get that shirt?" Mallory asked.

"I actually made it myself," Vicki answered and the black-belt soldier was surprised.

"Okay, it's almost time!" Phil called out and the Ducks hushed and stared at Vicki.

"Remember what I showed you? Keep that in mind and you'll do great," she said to the Ducks and they headed out to the ice.

The crowd cheered as the Ducks skated around, along with the Sharks. Duke and one of the Shark wringers came to the center and the referee dropped the puck. Duke took it and skated away with it.

Grin was able to block some of the other Shark players, while Duke passed the puck to Mallory. Vicki watched with excitement as the Ducks battled with the Sharks and they used her strategies.

Both teams received penalties for rough play, but the Ducks were able to score 2 points with the Sharks 0. "Okay, let's see if they can score again," Phil said to Vicki.

Nosedive had the puck and he passed it to Duke, with Canard and Grin protecting him from the Sharks' defense. The timer was down 30 seconds in the last quarter and Duke hurried towards the Sharks' goalie.

He noticed that some of the Sharks' defense were closing in on him. "Mallory, catch!" Duke shouted and swung the puck to her, just as Vicki predicted. Mallory took it and eyed the goal net. With a hard swing, the puck went flying and went into the net!

"Score!" the announcer shouted, "The Ducks win!"

There was an explosion of cheers from the crowd and the Ducks gave their trademark yell, "DUCKS ROCK!"

In the locker room, Vicki could not hold in her excitement, "You guys were great!" she exclaimed and gave a chocking hug to Duke.

"Okay, okay, settle down sweetheart," he replied and she did.

"Sorry, I always get excited with hockey games," Vicki said.

"We would like to thank you for your genius strategies," Wildwing said and Vicki nodded with a smile.

"Hey, would you mind if I borrow your brain for a while?" Nosedive asked, "I'm having a hard time with a video game and-"

"Dive, you know video games rot your brain," his older brother cut him off.

"If I did give you my brain, then what's in it for me?" Vicki chuckled, but Nosedive shrugged and the others laughed.

"You did very well Vicki, we'll see you in two days for the Penguins game," Canard said to her and she headed on out.

"Hey." Vicki turned to see Duke behind her and she stops in her tracks. "I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner tomorrow night?" he asked.

"That sounds nice, what do you have in mind?" Vicki asked.

"Whatever you like downtown, your pick," Duke answered and she nods. "By the way, you did very well today," he added and he went back to his group. Vicki gave a romantic sigh and then headed back to her apartment, it had been a long day.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

By morning, the inhabitants of Anaheim rose and did their routine like any other morning. Vicki also woke up and realized that tonight was her date with Duke.

She began to think about what to offer him as thanks for saving her life yesterday. "I wonder if he likes cookies?" Vicki asked herself, "Everyone does."

With her mind set on making a thank you gift for Duke, Vicki got up from her bed, dressed, and headed to the kitchen. She knew how to make chocolate chip cookies by heart, but she had a secret in making the cookies' softness last longer.

Vicki went to work and was done in less than an hour. Just to be sure she did the recipe right, Vicki tasted one cookie, and it was delicious.

"Did you make those for all of us?" Emily asked upon entering the kitchen.

"No, some of them are for Duke," Vicki replied, but she shut her mouth when she said his name.

"Awe, you like him," Emily teased and Vicki's cheeks turned red, "Do you like him enough to be your boyfriend?" Emily added.

"No, we're just friends," Vicki said, but Emily shook her head.

"You're lying, you want to be his girlfriend," she teased the young woman and Emily began to sing, "Duke and Vicki sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

"Emily, will you stop teasing her?" Allison asked as she entered the kitchen. Emily left the kitchen while giggling.

"Don't mind her, she likes to pester others," Allison said to Vicki.

Vicki began to think about what to do with the cookies, gift-wrap them maybe? She did have colored foil and went off to find it. Vicki did find turquoise colored foil with red stripes and she used it to wrap at least ten of the cookies and tied it with a red ribbon.

"Hey Vicki," Allison called from the living room. Vicki found the Liars all gathered in the living room and she asks, "What is it?"

"We thought we wait to tell you this, but we just can't hold it in any longer. How would you feel at having a second job?" Spencer asked.

"What kind of job?" Vicki asked them.

"There is this a really neat café and the owner is a good friend of my parents," Hanna informed and continues, "She is looking for some help for the summer and she asked us. We were wondering what you would say? The owner, Mrs. Penelope Shortt said she would give you time off for your job with the Ducks."

Vicki liked the idea at working at a café and it would bring in extra money for the apartment. "Yes, I like that," she answered.

"Good, I'll call her right now," Hanna replied and pulled out her iPhone.

Since Vicki would have to wait for a few hours, she decided to take a swim in the pool. She slipped into her blue one piece suit and went into the water, it was luke-warm, but at least it wasn't cold.

Vicki decided to do some ice skating tricks in the water, no matter how bad it was. She placed one big toe on the bottom and turned about in the water, while having her arms spread out.

She then made a jump off and turned her body in a circle. She placed one foot to the bottom, again, and placed her other foot over her thigh and went into a circle, again.

"I should do some ice skating at the stadium sometime," she said to herself.

"You ice-skate?" a voice asked and Vicki looked around in surprise and saw Duke staring at her. "Sorry Vick, didn't mean to scare you. I thought I come by to see how you were doing," he said.

"I'm fine," she answered and stepped out of the pool. She located her towel and dried off. "I made a present for you, for saving my life," she added.

"Ah, you didn't have to make me anything," Duke replied.

"Do you like chocolate chip cookies?" she asked and Duke's lit up.

"Who doesn't?" he chuckled and Vicki showed him the gift-wrapped cookies. Duke opened it and took a cookie and ate it. "Oh man, I love the chewy kinds," he said and licked off his fingers. "Just to warn you, Nosedive is like a vacuum when it comes to sweets," he added and Vicki chuckled.

"By the way, you said you ice-skate?" Duke asked and Vicki nods. "Tell you what, why don't we go down to the Pond right now," he added.

"Now?" Vicki asked and Duke nods. "Okay, but let me change into something appropriate."

Vicki washed up and got dressed in some nice black jeans, a t-shirt with pink flowers, and a denim jacket. She got into her slip-on shoes and Duke led her back to the stadium.

()()()()()()()()

Once Vicki got into a pair of ice-skates, she stepped out onto the ice, while Duke watched from the side. Vicki slowed skated around the ice, but quickly gained speed. She whirled around in circles and showed her hands in an elegant fashion.

With enough speed, Vicki jumped and a complete jump spin and landed gracefully on her one foot. She heard someone clapping, perhaps Duke, and she finished with a whirl and stopped.

Vicki noticed that the other Ducks had also watched and they were applauding. Vicki gave a bow and went back to the benches. "You were incredible," Duke commented.

"Yeah, have you ever done any ice skating shows?" Tanya asked.

"Actually no, but I always wanted to," Vicki answered and pulled off the skates.

"Why don't we find out if there will be any ice skating contests for you?" Wildwing asked and Vicki gave a look of surprise.

"You would do that? That'll be great," she answered and bid goodbye to the other Ducks as she and Duke headed out for their date.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It was a beautiful day in Anaheim, with a bright blue sky and a nice breeze was blowing about. Both Vicki and Duke walked about the city, with Duke's guidance, he showed Vicki the sights.

They walked around the Colonial District, which was considered the "heart" of the city, as it was where Anaheim was born or founded. Palm trees swayed in the wind and Vicki felt like she was at a tropical getaway. They passed City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Main Library.

"When we go out, again, remind me to take you Pearson Park," Duke said to Vicki.

"What's at Pearson Park?" she asked.

"Have you ever been to an amphitheater?" Duke replied and Vicki shook her head. "If I'm correct, they will be featuring some play. What is that name?" he asked himself and scratched his head, "C'mon Duke, think," he said to himself.

"I would like to see whatever is playing at the amphitheater," Vicki replied.

"Okay, but I hope that name comes to my head sooner or later," Duke said and they continued in their walk around the city.

Vicki breathed in the sweet breeze and so did Duke, but then, they heard a rumbling noise. "What was that?" Vicki asked.

"You heard that? Sorry, that was my stomach, I'm going on empty," Duke replied and Vicki looked at her watch.

"No wonder, it's almost 6," she said and the two began to look for a restaurant. They found a part fancy steakhouse, but Vicki looked over the menu and was grateful that they had dinner salads.

Vicki and Duke were seated at a booth by the window that looked out on the street. They both ordered Italian salads with light cheese and light French dressing, plain baked potatoes with light butter, a basket of wheat bread, and two glasses of lemon & lime water.

"When did you became a vegan? Just out of curiosity?" Duke asked.

"Long time ago, don't know what age, but I have read articles of the meat business and how cruel they are to the animals that go for slaughter. In truth, I am like St. Francis of Assisi, you know who he is?" Vicki said and Duke shook his head.

"He is the patron saint of animals, he preached to people about how they should treat God's creatures," Vicki explained just as their water arrived.

"Can I ask something about you?" she asked and Duke nods, "Why did you become a jewel thief back on your home planet?"

Duke looked around, making sure that no one heard what Vicki said, and he replies, "You think I probably kept those beautiful pieces of rock, but the truth is I had to steal for my own survival. I lived at an orphanage since I was little and the caretakers were neglectful to every kid there. I happened to come across a book that told stories about a jewel thief, but he would only steal in order to provide what was greatly needed for his hungry family.

"While I was growing up in the orphanage, I practiced stealing from the kitchen or the library so I could be a master in stealing gems and sorts. When I finally got the hang of it, I ran away," Duke explained and continues, "I got my first job with a notorious jewel collector and he desperately wanted this ruby, really beautiful piece of red rock. The heist was easy, barely any security, and the jewel collector paid me big stacks of money."

"Did you get caught?" Vicki asked and Duke nods.

"Twice, the first time was when I was hired to steal a diamond necklace from a millionaire. Turned out that the guy switched necklaces and I ended up taking one made of cubic zirconia. The Duck who hired me double crossed me when he found out the necklace was a fake. After I got out, I thought it be best to forget about the jewel thieving business, but..." Duke trailed off.

"Couldn't help it?" Vicki filled in.

"Yep. The second time was before Dragaunus invaded Puckworld. I was with the Brotherhood of the Blade and we were going to heist this museum's royal jewelry collection, but they left me to face the police," Duke finished just as their food arrived.

They ate in silence, but Duke would take a quick look at Vicki at certain points while they ate. When they finished and headed out, the sun was setting and the clouds were blood red and gold.

"Sunsets are my favorite," Duke said to Vicki.

"Why is that?" she asked, but before Duke could answer, his communicator went off and he answered it.

"Duke, where are you? We got a distress signal," Wildwing said and gave the location of the distress call, a local pottery store.

"That's not far from where we are," Vicki replied, "Should we go and check it out?" she asked.

"Be careful, I don't know if it's Dragaunus this time or one of his goons," Wildwing said and cut off the communication. Both Duke and Vicki dashed off toward the pottery gallery.

"Why would Dragaunus steal anything at a pottery store?" Vicki asked.

"You got me, I have no clue," Duke answered and they rounded the corner.

Inside the pottery shop, Chameleon had gone solo on stealing whatever was available as he was bored. He whistled when he picked up a nice clay pot with Navajo patterns. "You and me, baby, we go way back," he said.

"Hey!" someone shouted and Chameleon turned to see Duke and Vicki behind him.

"Whoops, I hear my mama calling!" the Saurian exclaimed and turned to leave, but Vicki had blocked his way.

"You know it's rude to steal," she said and was prepared to use her karate moves to beat the heck out of the Saurian. Then, Chameleon transformed into a human, either he was supposed to be handsome, but his green skin gave it away.

"Why hello pretty lady," Chameleon said in a hunky voice, but Vicki made her first move. She gave a hard kick at the human Chameleon and he fell backward. The Saurian transformed back into his regular form, "Now that hurt," he replied, but formed a grin.

Suddenly, he transformed into a mighty strong lizard creature, "Time to take out the garbage!" Chameleon said in a deep voice. He slammed his fists into the ground, but Vicki moved out of the way in time.

He turned on Duke, who took out his saber, but the weapon was useless because Chameleon had protective armor. Chameleon swung his thick tail at Duke, hurling him into the air, and he crashed into some pottery bowls.

Duke rubbed the side of his head and stared up at Chameleon. "Goodnight Ducky!" the Saurian creature exclaimed.

"Don't you dare hurt my Duke!" Vicki shouted and threw both her shoes at Chameleon's head. The Saurian turned his attention to the young woman and roared. Vicki stood planted on her feet as the beast charged at her. Chameleon's fists flashed, but Vicki was able to block them, and when she got a good position, she delivered a hard kick at Chameleon's chin.

Just then, Vicki heard sirens outside and police cruisers came into view.

Captain Kelghorn and some of his deputies saw Vicki standing off with Chameleon, but the Saurian was able to teleport away. "Dang it! I hate it when they do that!" the short man shouted.

Vicki came to Duke's side, "Duke, are you okay?" she asked and he nods.

"I'm okay, but I think my dignity is wounded," he replied. Vicki suddenly remembered what she said to Chameleon and she felt terrible for saying it, now it was likely that Chameleon would tell his master what he heard.

The two of them were checked out by paramedics, just as the Migrator arrived. The Ducks came to their comrades' side, "Why didn't you call for help?" Canard asked.

"How could we? The little bugger put up a good fight and he almost killed Vicki," Duke explained and encircled an arm around Vicki. The young woman turned her eyes to the ground.

"Vicki are you okay?" Tanya asked, "You didn't get hurt did you?"

"No, I'm just a little shaken," Vicki answered and the Ducks led her to the Migrator.

"You should've seen her!" Duke exclaimed, "I mean, compared to you Mallory, Vicki knows her karate."

"Well I'll be," the black belt soldier said.

"We'll take you home," Duke said and she entered in. The drive was short and no one talked during the ride and the Migrator came to a halt in front of Vicki's apartment.

"Vicki!" Spencer called out as she and the other Liars ran out the door.

"We saw you on TV, are you okay?" Allison asked her friend, but she and the Liars blushed when they saw the Ducks.

"Hey there," Nosedive said to them, "Name's Nosedive."

"Ducks, say hello to my roommates," Vicki said to her friends. The Liars covered their red cheeks with their hands, but gave dreamy looks.

"Wow, they are handsome," Hanna said to her friends.

"Handsome? You mean hunks!" Nosedive joked, but Mallory slapped him upside the head.

"Listen girls," Wildwing said and took something out of his side bag on his belt, "You didn't get these from me," he whispered and he winked when he handed some slips of thick paper to them.

"All season game passes?!" Allison exclaimed and the other girls gave shouts of glee.

"You can come to any game any time you want to," Wildwing replied and the girls thanked him.

"Vicki, are you sure you're okay?" Duke asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied and adds, "I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning?"

"Yup, you should get some rest," Duke said to her and he and his comrades went back into the Migrator and it headed back to the Pond.

"I saw that you know," Emily said to Vicki.

"What?" she asked.

"Emily don't tease her, she's been through enough tonight," Allison ordered the girl and everyone went back to their apartment.

Vicki went to bed early, but for some reason, her eyes filled up with tears, and she pulled the top sheet over her head.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Outside of Anaheim, The_ Raptor_ was invisible to the world as it featured itself as nothing but a pile of rocks and dirt. Inside, Dragaunus was thinking of what he should plan next in getting rid of the Ducks.

Just then, Chameleon arrived and says, "Miss me?"

"Chameleon, where were you?!" the dragon king demanded, angrily. The little Saurian explained that he was at a local pottery shop.

"Now why would you want to steal stupid pottery?" Siege asked.

"I was bored!" Chameleon exclaimed and gave a huff.

"Did you run into those wretched Ducks?" Dragaunus asked and at that moment, Chameleon's face lit up.

"I did have a run-in with the jewel thief and his lady friend," he replied. "What are you talking about?" Dragaunus asked, again.

Chameleon than transformed into Vicki, but he still featured his green skin, and he shouts in his best Vicki voice, "Don't you dare hurt my Duke!"

The three other Saurians looked at Chameleon/Vicki and Dragaunus asks, "Say that, again."

"Don't you dare hurt my Duke!" Chameleon repeated in Vicki's voice.

Wraith scratched his chin and says, "It sounds as if this human has feelings for the ex-con." Dragaunus, however, was thinking and says, "I think we need some help from a certain someone. You three, go to London and retrieve Falcone, I believe he wants revenge and he'll get it."

The three goons teleported away, taking a few robot minions, leaving Dragaunus alone with his thoughts. "If I can't destroy the Ducks, maybe I can destroy the people they hold dear," he chuckled and steam flowed out of his nostrils.

()()()()()()()

Vicki was not sure how long she slept, but when she forced herself to get up, she was suffering from a headache. She looked through her clothes, locating her uniform shirt and some tan pants. After freshening up, Vicki went to the kitchen and was surprised to see Duke there.

"Hey Vicki," he said, "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she answered.

"Listen, I couldn't stop thinking about what happened last night, so I thought these might cheer you up," Duke replied and featured a bouquet of beautiful roses and a blue furred teddy bear.

"Oh Duke, I love them!" Vicki exclaimed, smelling the roses and hugged the bear.

"I knew you would," Duke replied and Vicki thought he was blushing.

"Since you're here, do you want breakfast?" she asked.

"If it's not a hassle for you," Duke said and Vicki shakes her head and pulled out a frying pan and a bowl.

She retrieved a box of pancake mix and added eggs and milk and a pinch of sweetener.

"Let me take care of that," Duke said and mixed up the ingredients with a spoon. Vicki took some blueberries from the fridge and washed them in the sink. She turned on the stove top and got to work on making blueberry pancakes.

"How many would you like?" Vicki asked Duke.

"Two, no, make that three, I have a feeling that those are gonna taste good," he answered. Vicki then noticed Emily and Spencer in the doorway, whispering to each other, and Vicki could sense that they were talking about Duke.

Vicki ignored them and made six small pancake circles on the frying pan. Once they were bubbling, Vicki added the blueberries in the batter and turned them over, the other side was a perfect golden brown.

When they were done, Vicki stacked three of them on one plate and the other three on another, handing one to Duke. They sat in the bar area of the kitchen/living room, just as Spencer turned on the TV.

"Really Spencer?" Emily asked, pointing to Vicki and Duke.

"I don't mind," Duke replied and took a bite of the pancake and his face lit up with surprise. "Vicki, these are amazing!" he exclaimed and Vicki blushed.

Just then, Spencer turned to a news station and it featured a breaking news bulletin. "In London, the famed jewel thief Falcone had escaped from prison early this morning. British police say they have no idea of how the criminal escaped, but they are working effortlessly to locate and recapture him and American intelligence says they will work alongside the British law enforcement," a news anchor woman explained.

"WHAT?!" Duke almost screamed and spewed some pancake out of his mouth. He listened to the news bulletin, again, and Vicki watch the terror in Duke's eyes.

He rubbed the sides of his temple with his hands and he says, "This is not good."

Vicki had heard about Falcone and she knew that he would want revenge on Duke for turning him over to the police. "Duke, I know this may not sound much, but it's going to be okay," she said, hoping it would calm him.

"I would not be so sure about that," he replied and then, his communicator beeped.

"Duke, did you hear the news?" Wildwing asked his comrade and Duke nods. "I think it is best for you to come back to the Pond," the leader added.

"I agree," Duke replied and turned off his communicator and faced Vicki. "Sorry Vicki, but would you mind if I took this back?" he asked, pointing to his unfinished plate of pancakes.

"No I don't mind, I'll come with you," she said, grabbing her purse and the two of them headed out to the Pond.

()()()()()()()()()

Back at the _Raptor,_ Falcone had listened what Chameleon told him about the other night. "Very interesting," he said, scratching under his beak.

"What I have in mind..." Dragaunus said and whispered his plan in Falcone's ear. When he was finished, Falcone gave a wide grin and sat at the computer.

"This is going to be good," Wraith said to the others and they all gave evil chuckles. Falcone then stood up and turned to face Chameleon.

"You and I are going to some shopping," Falcone said and he and Chameleon teleported away. They arrived at a jewelry store somewhere in Anaheim, but despite the daytime, the store was closed.

"Chameleon, can you do Duke?" Falcone asked the lizard.

"Can I? What are you? Dumb?" Chameleon asked with a chuckle, but Falcone did not laugh. The Saurian transformed into Duke, this time, Chameleon did not feature his green color.

"Get whatever you can," Falcone ordered and he smashed the glass door, making a hole for the false Duke to squeeze through.

"Where are you my pretties?" Chameleon said in his own voice, but he coughed and repeated in Duke's voice, "Where are you beautiful?"

The false Duke peeked into glass cases, locating some priceless necklaces and diamond watches, and smashed open the glass, gathering the pieces. When his pockets were full, Chameleon hurried out and transformed back into his original form.

"Now what?" he asked Falcone.

"Now we plan the bait," he answered and they teleported away to the Pond. When they arrived, Falcone ordered Chameleon to transform into Phil and take the stolen jewelry to Duke's locker.

"It would be my pleasure!" Chameleon exclaimed and he transformed into the obese manager. He took the jewelry and headed inside.

()()()()()()()()()()

On the ice, Duke felt quite uneasy, mostly toward Falcone's escape, but he did feel uncertain about tonight's game with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

"Duke, don't worry so much, they did say that American intelligence will be working with the British police," Canard said to the ex-con and then Duke left the ice.

"I'm going for a walk," he said, getting into his casual clothing and headed outside.

"Hey Duke, where are you going?" Phil (Chameleon in disguise) asked.

"Nowhere," Duke answered and went out the door. Chameleon, in his Phil disguise went to the arena and into the Duck's locker room and located Duke's locker. He opened it and hid the stolen jewelry under Duke's jersey.

"Oh, this is going to be good," Chameleon said in his own voice and hurried away.

"Hey Phil!" Wildwing shouted after the false manager, "Where did you go?"

Chameleon had to think of a quick answer and he replies in Phil's voice, "None of your business, booby." The Ducks and Vicki were surprised in Phil's attitude and watched as he left the arena.

"Okay, that was weird," Mallory said to the others, but they went back to practice.

()()()()()()

Duke returned a little later, just as the sun went down, the game with the Pittsburgh Penguins was nearing. Spectators crowded around the stadium's closed doors, waiting to go in.

"Excuse us!" someone shouted and the people turned to see Captain Kelghorn approaching the doors. "Open up!" he ordered the stadium security.

"Sorry, not without a ticket or pass," one door bouncer said, but Kelghorn held up a warrant. "Does this count?" he asked and the security guard opened the door.

In the locker room, Vicki was sharing last minute details with the Ducks. "Watch out for this guy," she said, informing them about one winger, "I read that he has a sharp eye."

"You heard the lady, now lets get to it," Nosedive said to his team.

"Not so fast Ducks," a voice said from the doorway and the Ducks turned to see Kelghorn with some officers. "Duke L'Orange?" he asked and the ex-con stood forward. "You are under arrest for robbery," Kelghorn informed him and everyone gasped, including Vicki.

"Robbery?! I never stole anything!" Duke exclaimed.

"Mind if we look in your locker?" Kelghorn asked and the ex-con shakes his head. Vicki's heart was pounding so hard and fast; what was going on? What did Duke do? Questions were buzzing in her head.

The officers searched through Duke's locker and pulled out a clear bag that revealed the stolen necklaces and watches. "WHAT?!" Duke exclaimed, again, "This is insane! I did not steal those!" he pleaded as one officer handcuffed.

The other Ducks stared at their comrade, with faces of confusion and shock. Vicki was in denial, she was sure Duke did not commit any crime.

"You have the right to remain silent," Kelghorn spoke of Duke's Miranda rights and the officers led him out.

"Duke!" Vicki cried out and wanted to stop the officers, but Mallory held her back.

"Never trust an ex-con," the soldier said to the young woman, but Vicki shook her head and hurried after Duke.

Outside, people were flashing their cameras and the media personnel were calling out questions to Duke as he taken to a cruiser. In the shadows, Falcone and Chameleon watched the spectacle and they grimly smiled as Duke was taken away.

"Duke!" Vicki called out, but the cruiser sped away. Falcone spotted the young woman and he formed a grin.

"Hmmm, I wonder if Duke's weakness is her," he said to Chameleon and the Saurian nodded.

Inside, the other Ducks were still in a state of shock. "He couldn't have done it! He said he wouldn't do it, again!" Nosedive exclaimed.

"I sense that something is amiss," Grin said in a meditated tone.

Wildwing could not take the pressure of the questions and decided to do the unthinkable. "I'm canceling tonight's game," he said to the others, "With one player gone...I don't know what to think."

Word got out to the spectators and they went away.

Vicki sat at a bleacher, her head was buzzing with questions about Duke. "He couldn't have done it! I know he wouldn't!" she said to herself.

"Vicki, are you okay?" Canard asked.

"You know Duke! And I know he didn't steal anything!" Vicki pleaded with him.

"Vicki, I'm sorry, but I don't know what to believe," he replied and Vicki felt lost.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Canard asked, but she shook her head. "I'll walk," she replied and she retrieved her purse. "Please, call me when you get word about Duke," she pleaded with Wildwing.

"We will," he replied and Vicki headed back to her apartment.

When she walked through the door, the Liars were watching the news about Duke's arrest. "Vicki, what is going on?" Allison asked, but Vicki ran up the stairs.

"For once in your life, leave me alone!" she shouted and slammed her bedroom door shut. She ran to her bed and buried her face in her pillow and began to cry.

* * *

From the author: Oh no! What will happen to Duke? Find out in the next chapter! Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Vicki awoke to see that it was dark outside and her head hurt from crying so much. She got off the bed and went to the living room, discovering that it was empty, mainly because it was close to midnight and she turned on the TV.

She found a news story about the heist at the 'Anaheim Gems' store and the news anchorman explains to the audience, "Duke L'Orange was arrested a few hours ago and charged with robbery. Police say they have recovered the surveillance videos that feature L'Orange breaking into the store and steal a least one million dollars worth of jewels, including some diamond watches."

The screen featured one of the videos that showed Duke breaking open some glass cases and taking the jewelry. Vicki could not believe it, she was sure that Duke was set up, but if it was Duke in the video...? Many questions were swarming in her head and she looked back at the news that showed the surveillance film. The news replayed it from the beginning and Vicki watched closely.

Before Duke entered into the picture, a bright light showed off-screen and Vicki rewind the part. She watched the bright light, again and again, and then, something in her mind said to her, _"It is not him."_

Yes, she knew that and Vicki thought up a plan. It was crazy, but she needed to do it to clear Duke's name. She grabbed a pile of clothes: a blue cat-suit, purple gloves, and black boots and placed them in a bag and headed out.

()()()()()()()

The police station was quiet and somewhat empty, apart from a few officers and Kelghorn. "Sir, there is a Miss Vicki McCray up front," someone said to him and the captain got up.

Vicki saw the short, red-haired man and took a breath. "You Miss McCray? What can I do for you?" Kelghorn asked.

"You probably don't know me, but I am a strategist for the Mighty Ducks' hockey team, and I know Duke personally," Vicki explained and Kelghorn looks at her in amazement.

"You know him, huh? Well, would you know what made him snap?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Vicki asked him.

"You know, what made him go rob that store?" Kelghorn made his question clear.

"I believe Duke did not carry out the heist," Vicki replied, but the captain snorted.

"I saw the videos, it showed him doing it," he said.

"Captain Kelghorn, I know Duke, he said that he would not steal anything, again," Vicki replied.

"Sometimes thieves change their minds," Kelghorn said.

"Captain, I believe I can clear this up, I just need the surveillance videos and-" "Whoa, whoa! You want to tamper with the evidence?" Kelghorn cut her off.

"I am not going to tamper the videos, I just want to look them over and see if there is anything else within those videos," Vicki explained, but Kelghorn shook his head.

"Young lady, what is on those videos is enough to convict Mr. L'Orange on robbery charges. He will be held here until a judge sentences him," he replied and Vicki felt a burning sensation in her stomach.

"Can I see him? I know visitor hours are over, but I won't take long," Vicki said and hoped that Kelghorn would let her see Duke.

"Okay, but only for two minutes, this way," he said and Vicki followed him to the cells in the back. Duke was staring blankly at the wall, making no sound until Kelghorn shouts, "Hey convict! You got a visitor."

Duke turned to see Vicki on the other side of the bars. "Vicki, are you okay? Why are you out so late?" he asked.

"Forget those questions," she whispered to him, "Tell me, did you steal those things that were found in your locker?" she asked.

"No," Duke replied in an honest tone and Vicki nods. "I believe you and I am going to clear your name, but Kelghorn won't let me see the surveillance videos, but I know something is not right in those videos," she said to him.

"How are you going to get them?" Duke whispered.

"I am going to call a good friend of mine who is a genius inventor, but I need Drake 1 to contact him. When do the Ducks go to bed?" she asked.

"They have to be in bed now, it's very late, but I believe the best way to get into the headquarters is through the emergency underground route, that way you won't signal an alarm by the door. However, I wonder if Tanya had not repaired those security drones yet," Duke explained and Vicki nods.

"Time's up, Miss McCray!" Kelghorn said in a loud voice.

"I have total confidence in you, please, be careful," Duke said to Vicki and looped a strain of her hair behind her ear and Vicki left.

()()()()()()()()

Vicki walked around to find some place to put on her costume. Once she found a good spot in a dark place in the park, Vicki got out of her regular clothes and into her blue cat-suit, purple gloves, and black boots. She tied her hair in a ponytail and went on her way to the Pond.

Quiet as a wolf on the hunt, Vicki avoided being seen from the night owls that prowled on the streets until she reached the Pond. She located the man-cover that would take her to the secret underground route.

Unlike most man-covers, this one probably weighed between 10 to 25 pounds, and Vicki had strong arms. She lifted it off and climbed into the sewer. She came upon the destroyed drones that the Ducks had used for security purposes and lucky for her, they were dead. Well, except for one.

The lone security drone raised itself up and shot at Vicki, but she dodged the blasts. She hopped out of the way, but leapt towards the drone, and gave a powerful karate kick at the drone. Her foot went through the drone's steel skin and Vicki pulled it out in time as the chest began to sparkle and the drone collapsed.

"Wow, I never thought of my own strength," Vicki said to herself and resumed her walk.

Vicki located the cover-door that led into the Ducks' headquarters, it was dark, but Vicki was able to locate Drake 1 and turned it on. After tapping a few keys, Vicki used the super-computer to locate her former tutor, *Tech E. Coyote and called him and his face appeared on the screen.

"Tech E. Coyote, state your name and your business for calling me at this time?" the coyote humanoid demanded. Tech E. Coyote was Vicki's tutor when she went to Liberty University and they had dated for quite some time, but Vicki realized he was not the one.

"Tech, it's me, Vicki," she replied and pulled off the mask part of the suit.

"Vicki? Is that really you? Wow. Where are you?" Tech asked.

"I'm in the Mighty Ducks' headquarters, I'm using their super-computer to communicate with you," Vicki answered.

"So, you made it to Anaheim after all," the coyote said.

"Tech, listen, I need your help," Vicki replied, "You know Duke L'Orange? I believe he was framed and I want to clear his name, but the police captain will not let me see the surveillance videos from the jewelry store."

"I knew that you would be doing something like this. So, what do you need help with?" Tech asked.

"Help me break into the police station and...borrow the videos. Then, I want to see what is in those videos, anything that the police missed," Vicki explained.

"If I help you, what's in it for me?" Tech asked and Vicki groaned and began to think.

"There's a science convention in Anaheim in a couple of weeks, would you consider that a date?" she asked and Tech nodded and replies, "Deal. Where do you want to meet?"

"In Anaheim Park, how long will it take for you to get there?" Vicki asked. Tech looked at one of his devices, pushing buttons, and a 'ping!' was heard. "With my Zoomatrix, it will take about 30 minutes," he answered.

"Good," Vicki replied and turned off Drake 1 and went back through the secret route.

()()()()()()()()()()

True to his word, Tech E. Coyote arrived in his Zoomatrix at Anaheim Park. He wore his black and green suit and he floated down with his flying device. "Vicki!" he exclaimed and they embraced.

"Tech, I'm glad you made it because we're running out of time," she said and the two headed straight for the police station.

Sticking to the shadows, Tech and Vicki climbed up onto the roof, finding a vent that would lead to inside. Vicki pulled on the bars that covered the vent, but they wouldn't budge.

"Leave it to my mini-Metalo-Converter," Tech said, taking out a small gun-like device that was a bit similar to his Metalo-Converter.

"That won't make loud noises will it?" Vicki asked and Tech shakes his head and he took aim at the bars. There was a buzzing sound as Tech pulled the trigger and a blue-green hue surrounded the metal bars and they disintegrated.

Tech tied a rope around Vicki's waist, "That way you won't get lost in the vents," he said and gives her night-vision goggles.

"Good, I really don't see well in the dark," Vicki replied and ventures down into the darkness.

"Be careful Vick," Tech said, giving a little slack to the rope as Vicki crawled through the dark vents. With the night-vision goggles, Vicki was able to see in the dark and peek through the rooms that were not occupied.

Finally, she came upon the evidence room, where the police kept boxes of collected crime evidence. Lucky for her, the room was empty and she gave a hard push at the bars that covered the vent. Vicki then tied off the rope from her waist and dropped it down to the floor and she slid down.

Using a flashlight, Vicki looked at the boxes, hoping to find the one that carried the surveillance videos from the jewelry store heist. Finally, she found the box labeled 'Anaheim Gems Jewel Heist-Surveillance Videos'. She checked to make sure all of the discs were there. "It's a good thing they're discs," Vicki said to herself.

Then, she heard the clinging of keys, someone was coming. Vicki pushed the box into the vent and was about to hoist herself up, when she heard a gasp and turned to see an elderly police officer staring at her.

"Don't move!" the officer commanded.

"Vicki, hold your breath!" a voice said to her and she obeyed as something was thrown at the officer's feet. Fumes surrounded the officer and he collapsed to the floor and began to snore.

Vicki turned to see Tech and he helped her up into the vent. They placed the bars back over and they hurried away to the roof.

()()()()()()

When the two were far from the station, Tech took a peek in the box and he opened up his computer. He slipped one disc into the hard drive and the video showed on the screen. The video was from the front entrance.

"This is what they showed on the news," Vicki said to Tech. She pointed out to him where she saw the flash of light. Tech darkened the image, but was able to expose the light. He then darkened the light a little and they saw what looked like a hand, but it was not Duke's.

"I saw that hand before," Vicki replied and gasps, "Chameleon!"

"Don't your hopes up too high, let's see if there's one that shows outside the store," Tech reminded her and slips another disc into the hard drive.

The video featured directly in line with the glass door, but it showed an awful glare from the sun. "Someday I hope to invent a security camera that will block off the sun's glare," Tech said to Vicki and she nods.

"Can you darken the image?" Vicki asked. Tech darkened the background a little and they noticed two shapes outside the door. Tech removed the two shapes and onto a black screen, where he darkened the tone and the figures now had faces!

Vicki gasped, she recognized the faces, "That's Falcone and Chameleon!"

"Hold on, let's do a facial match first," Tech said and his computer did a quick search on the criminal database and sure enough, both faces matched of Chameleon and Falcone.

"Those...those...rapscallions!" Vicki blurted out.

"They're worse than rapscallions," Tech said to her and she nods.

"Vicki?" a voice called out and a flashlight's beam shown on the two. Vicki was blinded by the beam, but she could see the outline of Tanya's upward hair.

"Put that down, please, I hate to be blinded by a flashlight," Tech said to the Ducks and they lowered their flashlights.

"Vicki, what the heck is going on?" Wildwing asked the young woman.

"First off, who is this?" Mallory asked, pointing to Tech.

"The name's Tech E. Coyote," the coyote humanoid said to the Ducks, "I am a genius inventor from the planet Acmetropolis. I was Vicki's tutor and I see that she has exceeded in her job as your strategist."

"Wow! Vicki, how come you never told us about him?" Nosedive asked. Vicki looks at Tech for a brief moment and replies, "I never thought he would be needed and we had a history."

The Ducks were curious about Vicki's history with Tech and she adds, "We dated, but our relationship didn't turn out so well."

"Let's push that aside," Wildwing said, "Vicki, you were in our headquarters and used Drake 1. Tanya looked over the history and recovered the message on it, just to let you know," he continued and he asks, "Now answer us this, what are you doing?"

Vicki could hold in her belief any longer and answers, "Duke is innocent of the crime! I wanted to look over the surveillance videos to see if there was anything that the police missed, but Kelghorn refused. So, I had to do the unthinkable, I had to break into the police station and recover the videos. And just a few moments, Tech and I discovered that Falcone and Chameleon carried out the heist in order to frame Duke."

The Ducks were surprised when they heard this and Tech showed them what he recovered from the videos. "But why would they frame Duke?" Nosedive asked.

"Falcone and Duke had a history and it was not a good one," Grin reminded his young friend.

"But something doesn't make sense," Tanya said, "How did Falcone get out of jail and...and...all of that?"

"What about your reptilian friend, Dragaunus?" Tech asked and Vicki gasped.

"Guys, I think Duke is in danger," she said in a horrified tone and at that moment, there was a loud 'KA-BOOM!'

"That came from the police station!" Canard exclaimed and all of them hurried towards the partially destroyed police station. The damage was mostly upon the back where the jail cells were.

The Ducks helped out with the injured, while Tech and Vicki looked around for Duke. "Duke!" Vicki called out upon the rubble, but no answer.

Just then, she heard a grim chuckle and she looked up to see Falcone, carrying an unconscious Duke on his shoulders and Chameleon waving at her. Tech stood in front of Vicki in a protective stance, Falcone stared long and hard at Vicki.

"So, you are the famous Vicki McCray?" Falcone asked, but she did not answer. "I understand that you have feelings for Duke here, the romantic kind," he added, just as the other Ducks appeared and came to Vicki's side. "If you wish to see your comrade alive, have Vicki come alone to the abandoned Azul Vista construction site in one hour or else," Falcone said to them and then, he, Duke, and Chameleon teleported away.

"Duke!" Vicki cried out, but he was gone.

"Why you Vicki?" Mallory asked.

Vicki knew what Falcone meant and she knew what she had to do, but she needed help. "Ducks, can you trust me on this?" she asked. Some of them showed looks of unsureness, but Wildwing placed a hand on her shoulder, "Tell us what to do," he said and Vicki explained her plan to them.

* * *

*Note: Tech E. Coyote is one of the Loonatics from Loonatics Unleashed, he is the descendent of Wile E. Coyote.

From the author: Oh no! What's going to happen to Duke? Find out in the next chapter! Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The abandoned Azul Vista construction site was meant to be an apartment complex with multiple suites and family dorms. Unfortunately, the owner who started out the project ran out of money and the construction site was left to succumb to the elements.

On the bottom floor, Duke had regained consciousness, but he was not surprised to see Falcone. "I knew you were in on the heist somehow," he said to his former partner. Duke had his arms tied around a steel beam.

"Did you figure it out while you were in jail or just now?" Falcone asked, but Duke did not answer.

"Enough with the questions," Dragaunus ordered and he stepped out of the shadows with his henchmen and Duke was not surprised.

"So, you teamed up with them just to seek your sweet revenge on me?" Duke asked Falcone, but he just chuckled.

"More than just revenge, but rather a taste of your own medicine," Falcone answered, but Duke was confused, and Falcone added, "A long time ago, you took something from me, now I'm going to do the same to you."

Duke began to think, but what Falcone said did not make sense to him. "Maybe this ought to help," Chameleon said and he transformed into Vicki and speaks in her voice, "Don't hurt my Duke!"

The ex-con gasped in horror, he understood what they plan to do. "If you place one finger on Vicki, I will-" "You what?" Falcone cut him off, "Cry your eyes out until there's no tears left?" he asked, but Duke featured an angry face at him.

"Enough," Dragaunus ordered, "The hour is almost up, you best prepare yourself for your doom," he said, pointing to Duke. Falcone took out a sharp knife, his fingers slithered on the steel.

"FALCONE!" a young woman's voice shouted and it echoed around the site, it was Vicki.

"Vicki! You got-" Duke's beak was clamped shut by Falcone and he taped it tight, making Duke mutter.

"Well, well," Dragaunus said to Vicki, who was standing outside the building frame in the middle of a sand pile. The wind blew softly, picking up dust from the ground. "It's a pleasure to meet you once again," the dragon ruler said.

"Where's Falcone? I'm here, I hope he knows," Vicki replied in a calming tone. Falcone showed himself and Siege pulled Duke, still bound, out to show Vicki that he was okay.

"What is it you want?" Vicki asked Falcone. He held up the knife and placed it over Duke's throat.

"Before I do that, do you have something to say?" Falcone asked and Vicki gave a grin.

"You know what they say? AN EYE FOR AN EYE!" Vicki shouted the last part, placing a pair of sunglasses over her eyes, and that moment, bright beams of light flashed on, blinding the Saurians and Falcone.

The Ducks held up Tech's Eye-Blinders, an invention that would make anyone's pupils hurt and get a painful headache. Vicki rushed up to Duke and Falcone. Then, she kicked the knife out of Falcone's hands and delivered a powerful punch at his stomach, making him fall backwards. Vicki turned her attention to Siege and gave a karate kick at his chin, breaking some of his teeth.

Siege let go of Duke and Vicki took him by the arm and lead him to safety. The Ducks saw Vicki and Duke and they turned off the blinders. Suddenly, something grabbed at Duke's foot and he fell to the ground, along with Vicki. They saw Falcone, knife in hand, and he raised it above Duke. Vicki shoved Falcone off of Duke, but in the process, the knife slit Vicki's arm.

Ignoring the pain, Vicki slapped the knife out of Falcone's hands, and they began to roll in the dirt. Duke spotted the knife and crawled toward it. Once he got it, he began to cut the rope binding him.

Both Falcone and Vicki got up on their feet, but Falcone swung his fists around. He missed Vicki as she was able to dodge them and she jumped and delivered a kick at his head.

Falcone got agitated and in a flash, he punched at Vicki and she flew a few feet away, close to the edge of an open pit. Vicki took a quick look, the pit was deep, between 300-400 feet deep.

Vicki gasped when she saw Falcone tower over her and was prepared to deliver a killer punch. "NO!" Duke shouted and jumped onto Falcone's back. The ex-con had looped an arm around Falcone's neck and began to choke him.

Falcone collapsed due to the loss of oxygen and Vicki cries out, "Duke, stop it!" The ex-con obeyed and releases Falcone from his grip.

The other Ducks and Tech held up their blasters at Dragaunus and his goons. "This isn't over, Ducks! And I will be seeing your human friend, again!" the dragon king shouted and he and his henchmen teleported away.

"I hate it when they do that!" Nosedive complained, but the Ducks and Tech turned their attention to Duke, Vicki, and Falcone. The Raptrin humanoid coughed a little and he stared up at Duke and Vicki.

"So, you figured it out?" he asked Duke, "I hope you two are happy together," he added with a grin. Vicki handed Duke his saber and he held up the blade to Falcone's neck.

"If you ever come near Vicki, again, I will get you," the ex-con warned and he placed an arm around Vicki and led her away.

Just then, Falcone stood up and was about to deliver a killer blow to the two. "Vicki, duck!" Tech ordered and she and Duke jumped down, just as Tech turned on his Eye-Blinder.

Falcone gave a cry of agony as he covered his eyes and he stumbled backward. When he got close to the edge, the dirt gave way, and Falcone fell into the pit.

"Falcone!" Duke cried out and he and Vicki went to look. The pit was dark and they could not see anything or hear anything. Wildwing came to the edge and used his mask to see any heat source in the pit.

"Falcone must be buried under the sand, I can't find a heat source," the leader said and Duke gave a sigh of despair. He didn't want Falcone to die, but he was unable to save him from falling into the pit.

Duke decided to turn his attention Vicki and saw that her arm was bleeding. "C'mon, you best get that looked at," he said and he looped an arm around her and led her away, joining the others.

At the bottom of the pit, something began to move, and Falcone's arm shot out from under the sand. He pulled himself out for air and his head slumped on the damp, cold soil. "I will get you, Duke," he said and he blacked out.

()()()()()()()()

In the Migrator, Duke volunteered in cleaning Vicki's wound. It was just an incision, not too deep, and it didn't required stitches. Duke placed a bandage on the cut and wrapped it.

"Thanks," Vicki said to Duke. "No problem, sweetheart," he replied and tied a bow at the end of the wrap.

"That was awesome in what we did! Did you see their faces when we shined those lights on them?!" Nosedive exclaimed.

"No, what Vicki did was truly amazing," Mallory replied.

"And we are eternally grateful for what you did for Duke," Wildwing said to Vicki.

"We're not done yet, we still need to show the videos to Kelghorn," she reminded them. Canard drove the Migrator towards in what remained the police station.

"Ah, I see you've brought the-" "Captain Kelghorn," Vicki cut off the short man and showed him Tech's laptop. "Before you say anything else about Duke, look at this first," she added. Vicki showed what Tech had uncovered in the videos, featuring Falcone and Chameleon.

"Well I'll be," Kelghorn said and he turned to face Duke, "I'm sorry for the mix-up, I'll tell the judge about this. By the way, where's your falcon friend?"

"There was an accident," Duke informed him, but didn't tell the rest.

"I see," Kelghorn replied, "Well, let's by-gones be by-gones," he added and let's them go. The Ducks, Vicki, and Tech went back to the Migrator and headed back to the Pond.

"Vicki," Duke said, "What you did was actually crazy, very dangerous actually. If you got hurt, except you did, but if you did in a worse way, I would never forgive myself," he explained, "But I can't thank you enough for what you did."

Vicki gave a smile and leaned her head on Duke's shoulder and he placed an arm around her. Nosedive, on the other hand, was getting impatient, "Oh, tell each other already!"

Both of them looked at him in surprise, just as Canard clamped Nosedive's beak shut. Tech realized what was going on between Duke and Vicki and he understood what Falcone meant about Vicki's romantic feelings toward Duke.

"Oh, Duke, I forgot to introduce you to Tech," Vicki said and Tech showed himself. Duke also thanked him for helping Vicki and for clearing his name.

"Vicki, can I speak to you for a minute?" the coyote humanoid asked and takes her to the back of the truck. "Vicki, let's forget the deal," Tech said and Vicki was surprised.

"But Tech-" he held up a hand, stopping Vicki from talking. "I know what you feel towards Duke and I believe it is best that I don't interfere with your relationship with him," he explained, "I just want to see you happy, even it means that I'm not in the picture."

"Don't say things like that, you're the greatest person everyone has ever known," Vicki said, but Tech placed a hand on her shoulder.

"And a great person let's go of the one he loves, for she is in love with someone else," the coyote replied and Vicki understood, but tears flooded her eyes. "Please don't cry, you know I get emotional around people who cry," he added and kisses her cheek.

The Migrator arrived outside of Vicki's apartment building, where the Liars were waiting outside. "Vicki!" Allison exclaimed when her roommate came out of the truck and the girls made a group hug.

Tech introduce himself to the Liars and the girls gave romantic sighs, "Vicki, you are so lucky!" Spencer said.

"Lucky about what?" Vicki asked.

"That you made friends with the handsome guys!" Mona replied and Tech chuckled.

"C'mon, it's morning, and we're going to have a feast!" Allison exclaimed to everyone and they cheered and they marched into the penthouse apartment.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The Liars were in full speed in preparing the morning feast. The menu was pancakes with blueberries, vegetarian sausages, sweet potato casserole, and oatmeal strawberry smoothies.

Vicki was ordered to not participate in the cooking as she had a long night. "Ally," she said and Allison turned to face Vicki, "I'm sorry for yelling at you last night."

"Don't be, you were under a lot of stress and I understood what was going through your head," Allison replied and hugged Vicki. "Now, you should take a shower, you must feel grimy and sweaty," she added.

"I can't agree with you more," Vicki said and headed off to her bathroom, but she met with the Ducks and Tech. They were enjoying the oatmeal strawberry smoothies and watching the news about Duke being cleared of the burglary charges.

"All thanks to Vicki!" Nosedive shouted at the news people, but they didn't hear him.

Vicki looked through her drawers and closet, locating her blue and white stripped dress and white, short-sleeve cardigan. In the bathroom, she shed the cat-suit and it felt good as Vicki could smell the stinky sweat.

Under the shower head, Vicki washed herself with oatmeal and cocoa butter bath wash, getting rid of the grim and sweat from her skin. Once she finished, she blow-dried her hair, dressed in her clothes, and joined the others down-stairs.

"Oh, Vicki, I just realized something!" Duke said to her and she was curious. "Tomorrow is the Fourth of July!" he informed her.

"Oh really?! Oh my gosh, I have completely forgotten about that!" Vicki exclaimed, placing her hands on her cheeks in shock.

"And the hockey council agreed to have the hockey with the Penguins tonight," Wildwing said to her.

"Oh, the stress!" Nosedive exclaimed, gulping down the last of his smoothie.

"Breakfast is served!" Hanna called out and everyone gathered in the kitchen as the food was displayed as a buffet.

"First," Wildwing said to the group and refilled his cup, "A toast to Vicki, without you and your brain, I have no idea where we would be without you," he said.

"To Vicki!" everyone exclaimed, holding up their glasses and helped themselves to the food.

They talked amongst themselves and the Ducks and Tech commented on how excellent the food was. "I could eat this everyday," Tanya said after eating a sausage.

Vicki, on the other hand, was stressing out on tonight's game. She usually never stressed out about anything, but since the game with the Penguins was tonight, she felt like she had little time to prepare to strategized the game.

"Hey Vicki, you okay? You look like you're having a panic attack," Duke said.

"Do I? Oh, I feel so unprepared about tonight. What if my strategies don't work tonight? What if you don't win? What if-" "Hey!" Duke exclaimed, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Relax, sweetheart," he demanded and Vicki took a few deep breaths. "Who cares if we lose? It's just a game, one loss is not going to kill anyone," he said and Vicki nodded. "Besides, you're the smartest strategist, apart from Tanya, I ever known. I would think ever other strategist would die to have a brain like yours," he continued, "And to add to that, you're beautiful, you're kind, and the best human I've ever met."

Vicki gave a romantic sigh and says, "Thank you Duke." Then they shared a hug.

"Okay, I can't take it anymore! Just say it!" Nosedive shouted at them, but Wildwing shut his beak. "Can it bro!" he warned, "Leave them alone."

When everyone was finished with the morning feast, the Ducks helped the Liars out with the dishes. "Can I please have the re...re..." Tanya stammered with the word.

"Recipe?" Emily asked and Tanya nods and says, "For everything you made."

"Absolutely!" Emily replied and began to look for a box that contained the recipes. Once everything was cleaned, the Ducks and Vicki, who changed into her uniform, went on their way to the Pond. "We'll see you there this evening!" Allison called after them.

The Ducks got into their gear, while Vicki was thinking of the strategies for the game.

"Okay, I think we can pull this off," she said and showed them a sketch of x's, circles, and lines. She gave them directions of who to look out for and the Penguins' players weak-points.

"Duke told me that losing one game is not the end of the world," Vicki said to them, "All that matters is doing your best," she added and they nodded.

"Let's do it for the fun of it!" Nosedive exclaimed and everyone shared a high-five.

()()()()()()()

That evening, the Ducks verses the Penguins was in full force. The crowd cheered for the return of Duke.

The first quarter went without any team scoring, as both Wildwing and the Penguins' goalie were good at catching or blocking the puck.

"Gee, I never thought both of them would be that good," Vicki said to Phil and watched the Penguins' goalie, wondering if he had any weakness or flaws.

The goalie seemed to be tough, but Vicki saw that his eyes kept changing contact with any who kept getting the puck.

"Phil, call a timeout," Vicki demanded and he did. The Ducks circled around Vicki and she offered a new strategy.

"The goalie might not be quick enough to see the puck if you pass it really quick," she said and they nodded and went into position.

Duke and Mallory passed the puck to one another in a fast manner, while Grin and Canard defended against the enemy wringers.

Just as Vicki predicted, the enemy goalie's eyes were not quick enough to see the puck being passed.

Duke had the puck, but quickly passed it to Mallory, who then delivered the first point for the Ducks' team.

The crowd cheered as the first quarter came to an end. "Very good boobies!" Phil commented.

"No time to celebrate yet, we can either do the technique, again or prevent them from scoring," Vicki told them and the Ducks nodded and quick drinks of water and headed out for the next quarter.

For the rest of the game, the Ducks were able to score another point and prevented the Penguins from scoring. The Ducks won with two points to zero.

The Ducks joined together in a circle and shouted their trademark yell, "DUCKS ROCK!"

In the locker room, the Liars joined with Vicki and the Ducks and that's when Vicki noticed Tech was not with them.

"Where's Tech?" she asked her roommates.

"He said that something came up and had to go back to Acmetropolis, but he said he wishes you the best," Allison explained, but Vicki knew the truth.

Vicki wished he stayed for the Fourth, but Tech did want her to be happy with Duke. She said a little prayer in her head for Tech and hoped he would find someone to be part of his life.

"Vicki," someone said and she snapped out of the daze. "You okay?" Duke asked and she nodded. "Just thinking," she replied.

"We will be seeing you tomorrow for the Fourth right?" Canard asked the Liars.

"We refuse to miss it!" Hanna exclaimed and they and Vicki went to their apartment and all of them retired for the night. Vicki, however was quite awake and at work at her sewing machine.

For tomorrow, she was making red, white, and blue dresses for herself and her roommates. The top part would be blue and the bottom part were red and white stripes.

"What are you doing?" a voice said from the doorway and Vicki turned to see Aria.

"I just want to make us Fourth of July dresses," she answered, but Aria shook her head.

"No, no, no, you had a long day and you look exhausted. I'll take care of the dresses, you can sleep in my bed until I'm done," Aria ordered, taking the first unfinished dress from Vicki's hands.

"But Aria-" "No buts, I hate to see you fall asleep at the parade and maybe during the fireworks," Aria cut her off and Vicki watched as she took her seat and began on the dress.

"I know how to work with a sewing machine and all that, it's okay," Aria said and Vicki left the room and into Aria's bedroom. She got into the cozy bed and was asleep within seconds.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Dawn arose on Independence Day and Anaheim's residents were in full swing of doing last minute preparations. In the penthouse apartment, Vicki awoke and realized that she was still in Aria's bed.

She got up and went to her room where she found Aria sleeping in Vicki's bed. Vicki was surprised to see that all six dresses were hanging from Vicki's closet door, all done and very pretty to look at.

"Oh, you like them?" Aria said when she noticed Vicki.

"Yes I do," Vicki answered and took one of them off the hanger.

"I didn't want to wake you when I was done because I figured you were asleep and all, so I hope you don't mind if I stayed here," Aria said and Vicki shook her head.

Both of them distributed the dresses among the roommates and they liked them. Since the parade wasn't until 3 that afternoon, Vicki and the Liars went to the Pond, where the parking was packed with kiosks and a stage for a rock and roll band.

"Hey girls!" they heard Mallory's voice call out to them. The Ducks were wearing casual clothes, no jerseys and no other hockey gear.

"You girls look pretty in those dresses. Where did...di...di...get them?" Tanya stammered with her question, but Mallory answered for her.

"Aria and Vicki are fashion experts and they make their own clothes," the black belt soldier said.

"Hey sweetheart," Duke said to Vicki, "Want to hang around here?" he asked and she nodded. They passed kiosks and stands that had food, souvenirs, and games.

"Listen, the ice will be open after the parade, so I thought you would like to skate around before the fireworks," Duke said to Vicki.

"Oh, I would love that," she answered as they went around the parking lot. Time went by really quickly and the parade had began at 3 on the dot. Duke and Vicki found a shaded spot under a tree.

Fire engines, old trucks, including World War II automobiles were in the parade. California's governor and other important people passed by them and the crowd. A few marching bands played a few American tunes and the crowd cheered. When the parade was over, Duke and Vicki squeezed through the crowd in order to get to the stadium.

They made it in time as some people were willing to play on the ice before the fireworks that evening. Duke and Vicki got into their skates and were out on the ice along with other people.

Vicki got an idea, she held onto Duke's arm and they gather other skaters by their hands and they skated around in the arena. Vicki whirled around in circles and when she gained enough speed, she went into an aerial spiral and landed on one skate with such grace.

Then, Vicki was losing her balance and was about to fall on the ice when Duke caught her in his arms and the crowd cheered. "You got them," he commented.

"I never thought I had it in me," Vicki said, panting and took a peek at her watch on her wrist, it was close to 6 o'clock.

"It's that late? Wow, time does go by when you're having fun," Duke replied and they went off the ice and were out of their skates.

"C'mon, there's a place I think you will like," he added and retrieved a cooler and a basket from the headquarters. Vicki volunteered to carry the basket, "Just don't peek yet," Duke warned and she followed him to the garage and got on a Duckcycle.

Vicki held onto Duke as he drove away from the Pond and were riding on the Orange Freeway and then onto Riverside. Vicki than saw that they were entering Peralta Canyon Park.

Duke stopped at a hill that gave a good view of the area and he helped her off the cycle and pulled out a blanket from the basket. That's when Vicki took a peek in the basket and saw that there was food in there.

"Oh, Duke, did you make these by yourself?" Vicki asked.

"Some, I had a little help from Grin," Duke replied and began to display out on the blanket sandwiches with wheat bread. The sandwiches had light mayonnaise, organic ham and turkey meat, and white American cheese. Duke also brought out some cubed fruit and a bottle of sparking grape cider.

Duke popped the top off the bottle and poured some in Vicki's cup and then his. They ate and drank their dinner and watched the sun go down and the stars began to appear in the sky, but it was still not dark enough yet.

"Vicki, you've been quiet, are you okay?" Duke asked.

"I have been thinking about the pass few days. I came here to fulfill my dream and now that I am here, it seems that everything has been falling into place. However, I wonder what I should do now," Vicki explained to him.

"Maybe it is time to set a new dream. You know when me and my teammates get home to Puckworld, I hope to be a museum conservator, examine or repair historical artifacts and if I'm lucky, I get to hold some nice gems now and then," Duke said to her and adds, "And I hope your family doesn't mind, but I want to take you with me."

Vicki looked at Duke in surprise when he spoke the last part. "You mean it?" she asked and that's when Duke placed a hand on her cheek.

"I really mean it Vicki and I want to say," Duke took a deep breath and says, "I love you sweetheart."

Vicki released a sigh and says, "I love you, too, Duke." They leaned their heads toward each other and kissed. At that moment, the fireworks went up into the sky and exploded with bright balls of color. There were loud ones, too, but that did not bother Duke and Vicki as they held on the kiss for a long while.

They departed lips and Duke held Vicki in his arms and they watched the fireworks together.

In the darkness, Falcone had saw the whole thing. Bitter rage filled him and an idea came to his head and he disappeared into the night.

* * *

From the author:** Happy Independence Day! Wow, Duke and Vicki finally did it! But what about Falcone? What's his plan? Find out next time! I love reviews, but please be nice.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

At first light, the morning after Independence Day, Vicki felt as if she woke up from an amazing dream. After doing some stretches and touching her toes, Vicki's iPhone vibrated and saw that Duke had text her a message.

"Morning beautiful. Hw r u?"

She text back "Good, U?"

"Last night was INCREDIBLE!" he text back with the last word in big captions. "Want breakfast?" he asked.

"Sure! Where?!" she text back. Duke text her the name of a French restaurant and where to find it. "See U when?" she asked.

"How fast R U?" Duke asked his question. "15-20 minutes?" she text back. "See you then!" he replied and Vicki jumped out of bed, locating what she should where. She pulled out a blue knee-length skirt, a white blouse, and white Toms shoes.

She grabbed her purse and car keys and rushed out of her bedroom door. "Whoa!" Alison exclaimed, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Duke wants to have breakfast with me and I need to be at the restaurant in 20 minutes-" "Slow down Vicki!" Alison cut her off, "You need to relax, you don't have to be there like right now. Do some meditation or call your mom, you haven't spoken to her in a while."

Vicki had to admit, she needed to get her anxiety under control, or she might have a nervous breakdown. She suspected that having a relationship with Duke was getting to her head as she was happy, but they were times that she wanted him to be happy.

Vicki pulled out her iPhone and called her mother. "Bonjour, ceci est Lisa McCray," Vicki's mother said.

"Bonjour mère," Vicki replied and she heard her mother gasp.

"Vicki, how are you?! Oh my word, I saw you on the news. Oh my goodness, what about that Duke fellow? I heard he's out of jail," the woman spilled out the words all it once.

"Mom, calm down, everything is fine. How is Paris? How are you and Peter?" Vicki asked her mother.

"Oh, it is misérable. It has been pouring rain since yesterday. Oh, Peter and I were wondering if you like for us to come visit you around Thanksgiving or Christmas," her mother said and that excited Vicki.

"Really? That would be wonderful!" Vicki said in a cheerful tone.

"Alright, I'll talk to Peter about what holiday we'll come over. I can't wait to meet your roommates and the Ducks!" her mother replied in an excited tone. They bid their goodbyes and Vicki hung up.

She saw that ten minutes had passed and she decided to take slow, steady steps down the apartment stairs and out to her car and headed out. The restaurant was not too far and Vicki saw a Duckcycle in the parking lot.

Vicki entered the quint restaurant that was decorated with old French antiques and a glass display showed some fresh baked bread and pastries.

She spotted Duke at a table with two ceramic cups and a plate that had a croissant. He was staring out the window that showed the restaurant's small garden and Vicki took the seat across from him.

"Vicki, sorry, I didn't notice you," Duke said and Vicki saw that the ceramic cups were full of hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. She blew in her cup and took a few sips, the hot chocolate was rich in flavor. She then noticed something on the saucer, a silver ring with a heart shaped deep blue gem in the center and she almost dropped the cup.

Duke took her hand into his and says, "No, I'm not proposing. It's a promise ring. Back home on Puckworld, it is tradition for the guys to give girls a ring, just to tell other men that you're taken. I forgot to ask you if you like to be my girlfriend."

He took the ring off the saucer and slipped it on her finger. "It's pretty," Vicki commented, "And yes, I love to be your girlfriend," she added and she kisses Duke on the tip of his beak. "What about you? Don't you need something to tell the other girls that you're taken?" she asked.

"Nah, guys usually don't look at other girls. If a girl is hitting on me, I will ignore them, I promise," Duke answered and cuts half of the croissant. He put a bit of jam on his half and noticed Vicki admiring her ring.

"It is that a sapphire?" she asked and Duke nods, "That's my birthstone," she added.

"Wait, your birthday is in...September right?" he asked.

"September 25th," she replied and Duke had to smile.

"Sapphires are really sweet pieces of blue stone. At first, I didn't know what to get, but then, I realized you love the color blue, so I guess I made the best choice," Duke said and looked at the ring.

The two of them finished their breakfast and they headed out for the Pond.

()()()()()()()()

_The Raptor_, disguised as a pile of boulders, was silent, but inside, the Saurians and Falcone were discussing of what to do in their next plot.

"We need something that will devastate them, to the point their hearts break to pieces," Dragaunus said, but Wraith seemed to have just the thing.

"I know a spell that will put you in a 'death-like' sleep, only there's a catch," Wraith replied and explains, "The spell will only become permanent after the twelfth ring of midnight, but if the victim is awakened by a lover's kiss, then...you get the idea."

"Oh, so it's going to be like Rapunzel?" Chameleon asked, but everyone looked at him.

"It's Sleeping Beauty, you nimrod," Siege corrected the lizard.

"Now that sounds like an excellent idea," Falcone replied, "If we hold off Duke long enough, he will be unable to kiss his sweetheart, and it will be too late for him. He'll be in misery for weeks!"

"Not just Duke, but the other Ducks as well! Oh, they would just give up!" Dragaunus gave an evil chuckle, "Go and find the couple, I'll meet you in England," he ordered his minions and Falcone and they teleported away.

"Soon Ducks, you will meet your doom," the dragon king said to himself and gave a grin and he teleported away to England.

()()()()()()()

At the Pond, the other Ducks were waiting for their comrade to get ready for practice, but they needed to talk to him.

Once Duke and Vicki arrived and met up with the others, Wildwing was the first to notice the ring on Vicki's finger. "Vicki, hold out your hand, palm down," he commanded. Vicki obeyed, although she was sure that she was in for a lecture.

The others were shocked to see the ring on her finger and they turn their attention to Duke. "Are you seriously considering a relationship with Vicki?" Canard asked.

"I did not consider it, I made up my mind," Duke answered.

"Duke," Grin said in a meditated way, "Love is, what they say, blind."

Duke was confused and Mallory decided to explain, "What Grin is trying to say is that your mind will only set on Vicki, instead of your duties as a Mighty Duck, both a hockey player and a fighter against Dragaunus."

"I will not be blind by love," the ex-con replied.

"Well, technically, your affections for Vicki will cloud your jud...judge...thinking," Tanya stammered.

"Listen, you guys worry too much, leave them be," Nosedive insisted and the others look at the youngest member and back at Duke.

"Okay," Wildwing first said, "You two can continue with this relationship, but the both of you have to swear that you must set aside your affections for one another when we have practice and during the games, but especially during a mission. Can you promise that?" the leader asked.

Duke and Vicki look at one another and they nod. "We solemnly swear to that," the ex-con replied and Vicki nods.

"I want to see that ring," Mallory said and Vicki showed her hand and the female Ducks oohed at the sight of it.

"Okay, enough of that, next game will be with the Florida Panthers at their place in Sunrise. And I have to say, it's probably the best time of year, or maybe the worst," Vicki explained to the Ducks.

"What's the worst part of it?" Nosedive asked.

"Hurricane season, little friend," Grin reminded him.

"And don't forget the humidity and the hot, stinging sensation you get when you're outside," Tanya added.

"Sometimes I really wish we were home on Puckworld," Mallory said and the others nodded.

"So, Tanya, can we ask you to keep an eye on the weather for Florida?" Wildwing asked and Tanya takes a look at her Omi-tool.

"No hurricane is forming yet out on the Atlantic, which is a good sign, for now at least," the science wiz duck said.

Vicki wrote on a board of what they need to practice, adding x's, circles, arrows, and other sorts. She told the Ducks to watch out for who, including the enemy team and which teammate to protect.

The Ducks went on the ice and began their practice run on Vicki's strategy. Once they got the hang of it, Wildwing made sure that everyone understood the strategy and did one last practice run on it.

With Grin and Canard as defense, they protected Nosedive and Mallory from Duke and Tanya as they portrayed the Panthers wringers. With a hard swing, Nosedive sent the puck flying, but instead of going into the net, it bounced off the barrier and flew back at Nosedive, hitting him right at his helmet.

"Dive! Are you okay?!" Wildwing shouted and skated over to his brother. Nosedive's eyes featured pinwheel swirls and he was seeing stars.

"Mommy, I want to stay home today," the young member mumbled and fell on the ice.

"The kid didn't know his own strength," Duke commented as Wildwing helped his brother off the ice and into the infirmary.

"I guess that means practice is done for today," Vicki said.

"Good, cause I just thought of what we can do now," the ex-con replied to his girlfriend. "And is that?" Vicki asked.

"See 'The Fault in Our Stars'? I'll buy the tickets and get us a good seat," Duke said and Vicki nodded excitedly.

"Gotta warn you two, that movie is a tear-jerker," Mallory said when she heard Duke's plan.

Duke changed out of his jersey and gear and into his casual clothing, including his trench coat. He and Vicki then headed out to the movie theater.

"You know, I've never seen Duke so happy before. Maybe we worry too much," Tanya said to the others.

"But the one thing I'm worried is that Dragaunus could try to hurt one of them and that would be a big disadvantage to both us and them," Mallory replied, "I mean, if something were to happen to Vicki, Duke would never forgive himself and not partake in any mission or something."

"Maybe so, but if that were to happen, we should give Duke time to get himself together," Canard said and they agreed to that.

()()()()()()()()

In the alley behind the movie theater, Chameleon, Siege, Wraith, and Falcone looked around to see if they would find the couple. "Why here? I say we trash this place and make the Ducks come to us," Siege complained, but Chameleon gave a chuckle.

"I spy something with my little eye, a ducky and his pretty lady friend," the lizard said, cupping his hands around eyes as if he had binoculars.

Sure enough, the Saurians and Falcone spotted Duke and Vicki getting their tickets and went inside the theater.

"Chameleon, you keep an eye on the girl and when Vicki goes to the restroom, follow her, and then, use this," Falcone ordered, handing the Saurian a handkerchief, "Don't smell it, otherwise you'll be out in less than a minute," the falcon humanoid added.

Chameleon than transformed into a human woman with blonde hair and hazel-blue eyes and wore a yellow dress with a denim jacket. "I hope I get my money's worth," Chameleon said in a girlish voice.

"Hurry up and go," Wraith ordered and Chameleon went on his way to the theater.

()()()()()()

"Gosh, it's freezing in here!" Vicki said when she and Duke entered the theater room.

"Are you kidding? This is perfect," Duke replied, not complaining about the cold.

"For you it is, but I'll probably freeze to death before the movie ends," Vicki said as they found a good spot and sat down. Duke looped an arm around her and Vicki cuddled with him.

True to Mallory's word, the movie made everyone in the theater cry, including Duke and Vicki. "I can't take it, I need to go to the restroom," Vicki said and headed on out, leaving Duke alone, but she was not the only one that left the theater.

In the ladies' room, Vicki washed off the tears from her face. "That movie made you cry, too?" the woman next to her asked, she was also crying.

"Yes," Vicki answered and she noticed that the woman handed her a handkerchief. "Thank you," Vicki said, taking it, and placed it over her mouth and nose. At that moment, Vicki felt lightheaded and dizzy, and she collapsed to the floor. With the last of her strength, Vicki looked up at the woman, but she transformed into Chameleon!

"Hahaha, sucker," he chuckled and Vicki's vision blacked out. Siege opened up the window in the back, "Got the goods?" he asked, taking Vicki and hoisted her over his shoulder and went off.

In the theater, the movie came to an end, which made Duke very worried. Where was Vicki? She should've been back before the ending. Duke got up and looked around the theater, but no sight of Vicki.

When he towards the entrance door, he noticed a woman with blonde hair, hazel-blue eyes, and was wearing a yellow dress with a denim jacket. Duke recognized her as the woman who left when Vicki went to go to the restroom.

"Hey, you there," he called after, but the woman quickly went out the door. "Hey, come back!" Duke called after her and ran after her. The woman rushed outside, with Duke behind her, and she went into an alley.

When Duke reached the alley, he was shocked to see Falcone and the woman transforming into Chameleon. "Hello Duke," Falcone said to his former comrade.

"You're alive?!" Duke exclaimed in shock and anger.

"Surprised?" Falcone asked, but Duke shook his head.

"Where's Vicki?!" the ex-con demanded, pulling out his saber.

"In England," Falcone answered and adds, "And here's the thing; Wraith will place a 'death sleep' spell on her, if you can reach her at the old palace and kiss her before midnight England time, the spell will break, but if you don't, the spell will be permanent and she'll never wake up, again."

"WHAT?!" Duke exclaimed in horror and Falcone gave an evil chuckle.

"If I were you, I get to England before it reaches midnight there," the falcon humanoid replied and he and Chameleon teleported away.

Duke just stood there, horror had filled his senses, but he hurried back to the Pond to tell the others.

()()()()()()()

In _The Raptor,_ Vicki woke up, the effects of the drug were wearing off, and she realized where she was. She noticed that it was moving, but where was it going?

"Morning sleepy head," Chameleon's voice said and Vicki jumped.

"What do you want with me?!" she demanded and wanted to strangle the Saurian, but she realized that she was bound. She also noticed that she was wearing a blue gown, white slippers, and a diamond tiara had been placed on her head.

"We thought we dress you up for the occasion," Wraith said when he entered.

"What occasion?! Let me go!" Vicki demanded, but the Saurians chuckled and Wraith went to work. He chanted some words that Vicki didn't understand, but she noticed that she was getting sleepy and she shut her eyes at that moment.

()()()()()()()()

Duke arrived at the Pond and he ran inside to locate his comrades in the underground headquarters. "Guys!" he exclaimed and everyone stared at him and saw the horror in his eye.

"Duke, what's wrong? Where's Vicki?" Wildwing asked and Duke told them what Falcone said and it was their turn to be shocked.

"If we don't get to the old palace, Vicki will be sleeping forever, and never wake up. Oh, I'm such an idiot, I shouldn't have let her out of my sight!" Duke cried out, but then, Mallory grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Pull yourself together! We need you!" the black-belt soldier ordered.

"Team, let's move out!" Wildwing shouted and they headed for the Aero-wing. The ice arena opened up and the Aero-wing rolled over and the platform opened and the plane flew out towards the sky, heading for England.

* * *

**From the author: What's going to happen to Vicki?! Will the Ducks make it?! Find out in the next chapter!  
**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

On a stone bed, Vicki laid motionless, apart from her breathing and her chest rose and fell. It was 10 pm, England time and Falcone and the Saurians were getting impatient in waiting for the Ducks.

"I thought the point was to prevent the Ducks from reaching this sleeping beauty," Chameleon said.

"We will prevent them from reaching Vicki, but it will be more fun to fight them and take them down," Falcone replied, "But leave Duke to me, I want a piece of him as a trophy, either his heart or his head, heck, I will take his saber!" he added.

"And with them out of the way, I will finally be able to take over this wretched Earth!" Dragaunus exclaimed and they shared evil chuckles.

()()()()()()()

Somewhere over the Atlantic, the Aero-Wing was flying as fast as it could towards England, but Duke knew that time was running out. "Can't this thing go any faster?!" he demanded, pressing the booster button repeatedly.

"If we push it any faster, the engine will burn out," Tanya warned, but Duke sounded irritated by it.

"I don't care, give it more speed!" he ordered and Tanya gave it more boost.

Duke looked out from the window and prayed to whatever god that existed in the universe, "Please, protect Vicki and help us get there in time."

Just then, the Ducks spotted the coast and the Aero-Wing hurried towards London, but Duke realized something. "Falcone said that Vicki will be in an old palace, I think I know where she is!" he exclaimed.

Wildwing put in the coordinates and the computer showed that they were not too far, but the clock featured 11 p.m., an hour before the deadline. As fast as the Aero-wing could go, they were able to reach the old palace in 15 minutes.

"Duke, wait!" Canard commanded the ex-con, "We don't know if this is a trap set up by Dragaunus!"

"I don't care, I have to find Vicki!" Duke shouted and hurried out of the plane. True to Canard's word, Dragaunus' drones fired upon the group and the Ducks went for cover.

"Here duckies!" Siege called out to them and he and Chameleon fired upon the team.

Duke was frustrated as he needed to get into the palace and locate Vicki. Wildwing and Nosedive joined him behind a bush and Duke revealed his anger towards the Saurians. "I'll be the one to terminate them! And I mean I will-" "Duke!" the leader cut him off.

"Saying it won't solve anything," Wildwing informed him, "You need to put it into action!"

Duke began to think and an idea came to his head. "Will you cover for me?" he asked Wildwing and he nodded. The leader put up his shield, protecting himself and Duke from the drone's fire.

"Shoot at their heads!" Wildwing ordered his team and they used their puck blasters to shoot off the drones' heads. They were also able to hit Chameleon's and Siege's guns and they came face to face with Wildwing and Duke.

"No need for guns, I have muscle!" Siege exclaimed, but Wildwing looked to the left and gave a grin.

"Tell that to him!" the leader said and both the Saurians looked to see Grin coming right at them with full speed. Like a bowling ball hitting pins, Grin sent the two Saurians flying.

When they landed, both of them were seeing stars, "Wow, what a ride," Chameleon said before he collapsed.

Duke hurried inside the palace, it was cold and damp, and he was greeted by the aging Saurian wizard, Wraith. "I'm going to make a peking duck out of you!" he said and threw a dark energy spell at the ex-con, but Duke was able to jump out of the way.

"Enough!" a voice shouted from behind Wraith and Falcone appeared from the darkness. "He is mine!" he shouted and Wraith stepped aside. Duke gave a look of bitter anger towards his former comrade and was about to take out his saber.

"No weapons," Falcone commanded, "Only our bare hands," he added, cracking his knuckles.

"Fine," Duke said, "But if I win, you and your reptile friends leave and never, ever come near Vicki, again!"

"If I win, you're finished," Falcone replied and moved a finger across his throat, meaning that he wanted Duke's head. Both of them went into defensive stances and Falcone was the first to charge at Duke and tried to punch Duke in the face, but the ex-con was able to hold up his arms in defense.

Duke hurled himself at Falcone, pushing him to the ground, but Falcone did a side kick at Duke's ribs. Duke went backwards as Falcone hoisted himself off the ground and charged at him, again.

Both of them crashed through a glass door and in the process, Duke's saber flew across the floor and it went under a dusty chair. Falcone punched at Duke's face, but that angered Duke, and he pushed Falcone off of him.

The Ducks, having finished off the drones outside, were fending off Wraith and Dragaunus, who joined in the fight. Canard was able to deliver a hard punch at Dragaunus' face. "I've wanted to do that for a long time!" the former leader exclaimed.

Wraith, however, was able to corner Tanya and Nosedive with his dark magic. Mallory saw this, but noticed some pipes above the elder Saurian and she also saw that Wraith was parallel to a window. She immediately got up on a table and, like a gymnastics champion, she whirled around in the air until she gained enough speed.

Just as Wraith was about to deliver the killer blow at the two, Mallory shouts, "Hey you!" Wraith turned to see Mallory, jumping onto another pipe and with all her strength, she delivered the best aerial kick she had ever done. Wraith crashed through the window and landed on the ground outside.

Mallory came to rest on the floor, amazed by what she just did. Tanya and Nosedive joined her and Nosedive kissed her, full on the beak! At first, Mallory was horrified, but she smiled at Nosedive as he gave a nervous chuckle.

In the next room, Falcone and Duke were still going at each other, but Duke was not giving up. Out of the corner of his eye, Duke saw his saber and an idea came to his head.

Falcone charged at Duke, again, but the ex-con planted his feet to the ground, and waited for the right moment. Once Falcone was in the right position, Duke ducked down, just missing a punch, and hurled Falcone away from him. Falcone landed on a sofa and was about to get up, when Duke showed himself with his saber, the blade shining in the moonlight.

"I said no weapons!" Falcone commanded, but Duke ignored this and raised his saber above his head. Fearing that Duke would kill him, Falcone shut his eyes, and waited for death, but instead, Duke sliced into the cushion next to Falcone.

Falcone stared at Duke, rage was burning in his one eye, and he took it as a warning. "I will not kill you, it's not what I do, but if you dare come near my Vicki, again, I will kill you," Duke said in a low voice and turned away.

The Ducks stared at Duke, as if he were a mad duck, but they shook the feeling off. Suddenly, Falcone rose off the sofa, combining his fists into a ball, and he shouts, "I will not be defeated that easy!"

Duke turned around and saw Falcone and what he was about to do. He took a step backward, but he tripped over something, and his hand held out his saber. It happened so quick, that no one could really tell what just happened in the next second.

Duke fell on his back as Falcone came forward with his fists, but then, the falcon humanoid came into contact with the blade. Duke looked up to see that his saber had pierced into Falcone's stomach, and Falcone took a few steps, gripping his belly in pain and shock. He collapsed and died.

Dragaunus looked at Duke in horror and he choose not to stick around and he teleported away, along with his henchmen.

Duke stared at the body of his former comrade, panting and sweating, and he fell backward into a chair. "I didn't...I didn't mean for him..." he stammered.

"Duke," Wildwing said, coming to the ex-con's side, "He got what was coming to him and you were unable to stop him." Duke took a few deep breaths, relived that the nightmare was over.

"No time to relax! You've got to find Vicki!" Nosedive shouted at Duke. He got to his feet and rushed out of the room and up the stairs of the highest tower, his guts were telling him to go there.

Suddenly, a bell chimed, signaling the midnight hour. 'BONG!' the first toll. Duke with all his strength rushed up the stairs. 'BONG!' the second toll. Duke was still climbing. 'BONG!' Duke noticed the door at the top. 'BONG!' His legs ached, but Duke kept going. 'BONG!' the fifth toll. He was halfway there, but it felt like he was nowhere near it.

'BONG!' six more tolls to go. Duke's heart was pounding so hard that he thought he was going to collapse. 'BONG!' Duke refused to give up and climbed the rest of the way. 'BONG!' At the eighth toll, Duke tripped, but he righted himself as he made it to the door. 'BONG!' he opened it and saw Vicki on the stone table. 'BONG!' the tenth toll, Duke was frozen in place. 'BONG!' Duke lurched forward and calls out, "VICKI!" 'BONG!' the last toll. Duke made it to the table gave a heart-full kiss at Vicki's lips.

In her mind, Vicki knew that Duke broke the spell, but she decided to wait and see how Duke would react if she didn't wake up. "Vicki, wake up," Duke pleaded as he panted hard. "Wake up," he said, his voice was breaking.

He fell to his knees and began to sob. The other Ducks made it to the door and saw what was going on. Tanya looked at her watch, it read '12:01 am' and then it changed to '12:02 am'.

"He didn't make it," Tanya said to the others. Wildwing placed a hand over the eyes of his mask and the others dropped their heads, upset that their newest member was gone.

Duke, still sobbing, says through his tears, "Vicki...I love you...you were...my new dream..." Vicki heard this and opened one eye and waited to hear more. "If Death...were here...I...will beg him...to take...me instead..." Duke finished.

Vicki, hearing enough, rose off the stone table and says, "Awe, Duke that is so sweet."

Duke looked up in shock and surprise, "Vicki?! You're awake?!" he exclaimed, but didn't wait for an answer. He grabbed Vicki by the arm and pulled her off the table. As they hugged and kissed, they rolled around on the floor in a tight embrace.

The others gave sighs of relief and they circled around the two. When they were finished, Duke and Vicki stood up, and Mallory and Tanya gave Vicki quick hugs.

"Where are those reptile rapscallions?!" Vicki demanded, "I want to nail their tails to a wall!" Her bitterness faded when Duke hugged her, again, and didn't let her go for a long time.

"Okay you two, we better head on out," Canard said and Duke lifted Vicki off her feet with his arms and carried her out of the palace. The others wrapped Falcone's body in a white sheet and took it to the Aero-Wing.

When the plane was out over the Atlantic, it lowered down almost touching the water, and stopped, but still hovered. Grin and Wildwing threw Falcone's body into the water and it sank into the darkness.

Duke had explained to Vicki what had happened to Falcone. "It wasn't your fault, it was an accident," she said to him.

"I know, but I never thought he would let his bitterness toward me blind him," Duke replied and they cuddled up in a seat as the Aero-Wing resumed the journey back to Anaheim.

()()()()()()()()

As soon as the Aero-Wing arrived back at the Pond, Vicki insisted that she be given a spare jersey and a pair of sweat pants. She desperately wanted to get out of the gown and get rid of it.

Duke took the diamond tiara and examined it. "Very sweet pieces," he said, admiring the marquise and pear cuts of the diamonds.

"If we sold those individually, we be in...in...be very rich," Tanya replied.

"Don't tell that to Phil, he take that tiara out of our hands in an instance," Wildwing warned and Duke hid the tiara in his room.

Once Vicki was in new clothes, she went into Duke's room where he was hiding the tiara in a box. "Why are you keeping that?" she asked.

"We won't keep it, we were talking about selling the diamonds and make a profit, we are in need of paying off some funds," Duke replied and began to yawn.

"Yeah, me too," Vicki said and also yawned.

"How could you be tired? You were under a sleeping spell for quite some time," Duke said and motioned his hand for Vicki to turn as he was about to change out of his gear.

"You know when you had a dream and after you wake up, you still feel tired?" Vicki asked with her back turned.

"Yeah, I know," he answered, "Do you remember the dreams you had?" he asked.

"Actually no," she replied and turned to see Duke in maroon colored pants and a white shirt. "Those your night clothes?" she asked.

"Yup and I figured it be best for you to spend the night here," Duke replied and pulled back the sheets on his bed. Vicki climbed in and Duke followed suit, but he removed his eye patch, revealing a closed eye with a healed scar.

"I always wanted to ask you, what happened to your eye?" Vicki asked, her fingers tracing over the smooth skin.

"You can call me stupid, but it was the result from poor swordsmanship," Duke replied and pointed to his chipped beak, "Same thing here," he added.

"You know, I actually think those scars make you handsome," Vicki replied and the ex-con chuckled. They cuddled up with each other in the sheets and were asleep in under a minute, Vicki was finally sleeping with her Prince Charming, or her Robin Hood.

* * *

**From the author: One enemy down, but will the Ducks and Vicki be able to defeat Dragaunus and his goons once and for all? Find out later! Please review!  
**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Duke was the first to wake up and he did his best in not waking Vicki up. After dressing in some casual clothes, Duke went into the kitchen and fired up the stove. He was going to try in making the best eggs Benedict that Vicki would love.

Duke was sort of a good cook, but at times he needed help. However, he was able to make the hollandaise sauce by himself and when the water in the pot was at a boil, he cracked two eggs and waited for them to be poached.

He then cut up some cantaloupe and honeydew into cubes and placed them in a bowl. He cut an English muffin in half and toasted it for a little while and was able to recover the eggs from the water.

When the English muffin was done, Duke placed organic ham on both pieces and had both eggs put on. He then poured an even amount of sauce on them and placed the plate and bowl on a tray. He quickly poured some orange juice in a glass and took the tray back to his room.

The young woman was stretching her arms and legs, including cracking her toes. "Morning sweetheart," Duke said, presenting the breakfast food to her.

"Oh Duke, you shouldn't have," Vicki replied, but Duke had to chuckle.

"But I wanted to, seeing that you've been through a lot yesterday," he said.

"What I've been through? I was asleep more than half the time," Vicki laughed as Duke placed the tray on his bed.

Vicki took the first bite into one of the eggs Benedict and showed a face of amazement. "This is so good," she commented and Duke kissed the top of her head and used a finger to swap up some the sauce and taste it.

After she finished eating, Vicki went to use the phone to call her roommates. "This is Spencer," one of the Liars answered.

"Hi Spencer," Vicki replied and she heard a gasp.

"Vicki?! Where were you yesterday?! We were worried sick! We thought of calling the police if we didn't hear from you today!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Spencer, calm down, I'm sorry, I'll explain later, but can you do me a favor? Bring me some clothes and my toothpaste, toothbrush, and some toiletries, today we're going to Sunrise for the game tonight, just to remind you," Vicki said and Spencer replied that she and the other Liars would and that they were ready to go.

()()()()()()()()

Later that morning, the Ducks packed what they need for tonight's game against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida. The Liars came by with what they packed, including for Vicki, and Spencer brought in spare of clothes for Vicki.

"First off," Mona said to Vicki, "Explain to us, why are you here?"

Vicki explained to the Liars what had happened the other day, with Dragaunus' goons kidnapping her and the death-sleep spell she was put under. She went on to explain what Duke told her about Falcone and that she spent the night with Duke in bed.

"Wait, what is that?" Emily asked, pointing out to the promise ring on Vicki's finger.

"Are you engaged?!" Aria exclaimed, but Vicki shook her head and replied that she was Duke's girlfriend. Vicki finished up her conversation with her roommates and headed to the showers to wash up.

"I can't wait to hit the beach!" Nosedive exclaimed, making sure his surf board was secure in the Aero-Wing.

"That's going to have to wait, little bro," Wildwing said to him, "We'll be some serious practice when we get to the stadium."

"There are times when it best to unwind," Grin told his comrades in his Zen tone and the girls giggled under their breaths.

"I know what I'm going to do after the game," Mallory said to the girls, "Do some serious shopping and a night out on the town."

"That's what I was thinking!" Alison exclaimed and the other Liars gave their thoughts of what to do in Florida.

Once everyone was aboard the Aero-Wing, the Liars became wide-eyed at the plane and took their seats, the arena opened up and the Aero-Wing headed out into the endless blue sky, heading east.

()()()()()()()()()

The Aero-Wing arrived at Sunrise Metropolitan Airfield a little after 3 and they were warmly welcomed by the mayor and some of the inhabitants who were waiting for the Ducks.

After getting their things settled at the hotel, the Ducks headed out to the BB&T Center where they met with the Panthers' coach. "Not that I care who wins, but I wish the best of luck for you," he said and allowed them to practice on the ice.

Vicki was studying the Panther players' reports, checking to see if they had any weaknesses or anything that the Ducks should watch out for. She gathered the Ducks and showed them a few strategies on a board.

She wrote with a marker of what they should do and who to watch out for. Wildwing decided to do a practice run, just to be sure that his teammates had the strategies stuck in their heads.

Evening came in a quick manner and the ice arena was filled up with Panther and Duck fans. The Liars, with their passes, were seated at the comfortable cushion seats section.

In the visitors' locker room, the Ducks geared up and formed a circle, joining arm in arm, along with Vicki. "As the saying goes, break a leg," Nosedive said to the team.

"Sounds to me like a bad omen," Grin replied.

"They say it's worse to say good luck," Canard said to the giant drake.

"Whatever," Grin replied. The Ducks headed on out to the ice and were greeted by cheers from their fans, but were booed by the Panther fans.

"Oh stuff it!" Mallory shouted, but they didn't hear her.

Before Duke went on the ice, he went up to Vicki and points to his cheek, "Just for luck," he said and she kissed his cheek.

Mallory and a Panther wringer went to the center and the referee dropped the puck. The Panther wringer swung it out before Mallory could react, but Tanya was able to steal the puck.

Tanya passed the puck to Nosedive, while Canard and Grin protected him from the Panthers' defense. Nosedive passed the puck to Duke, but one of the Panther wringers stole it and headed in the opposite direction.

Vicki watched as the Panther wringer swung the puck towards Wildwing, but the leader was able to block the puck from going in. Mallory skated away with the puck, passing it to Tanya and she passed it to Duke.

Duke gave a hard swing and delivered the first goal for the team. Vicki gave a sigh of relief.

"Hello beautiful," someone said beside her and she turned to see a Panther wringer. He was probably twice her age with bulk muscle and a rather unpleasant smile.

"Hi," Vicki replied uneasily.

"Hey!" Phil shouted, "Get lost Panther!" he ordered.

"Till we meet, again," the wringer replied, giving a bow and he skated away.

Duke didn't see this as he was being congratulated on setting the first point for the Ducks. The first quarter went on with the Panthers scoring their first point, both teams tied.

The second quarter was no good as neither team scored because both Wildwing and the Panthers' goalie prevented the puck from going into their nets. It was now half-time and both teams rested for a short while.

"If you can pull it off by scoring another point, we're good," Vicki said to the team before they headed back out. The Ducks skated out on the ice and Vicki prayed for them to do their best.

"You work for them?" a voice asked and Vicki saw the same Panther wringer.

"Yes, I'm their strategist," she answered, a sicking feeling was forming in her stomach.

"Listen, how about you and I get to know each other?" he asked, but Vicki shook her head. Duke noticed the Panther wringer speaking to Vicki and bitter anger formed inside his mind.

"I'm afraid I have to turn you down," Vicki replied and the wringer's face slumped.

"And why not?" he asked, sounding irritated.

"I have a boyfriend," she answered, showing him Duke's promise ring. Duke saw what Vicki was doing and he figured that the wringer would now leave her alone.

"Oh you and I are meant for each other!" the wringer shouted and grabbed Vicki's hand, his glove around the ring.

"Get off me!" Vicki cried out. Duke and the others had heard this and Duke skated towards them and jumped on the wringer.

"Leave her alone!" he ordered and punched at the enemy wringer. Duke and the wringer threw punches, but suddenly, the wringer did a karate chop at Duke's right arm and a sickening 'CRACK!' was heard.

Duke screamed in agony and his comrades pulled the enemy wringer away from him. Duke cradled his arm and the referees came on the ice, some taking the Panther wringer away and a few came to Duke's side.

"He broke my arm!" the ex-con said and one of the referees called for the first aid team. Vicki helped Duke settle down on the bench as an arena doctor checked his arm.

"He has to go to the hospital, if it is that excruciating, than it must be bad," the doctor said and called for the ambulance. Duke was led out of the arena, but calls to his team, "Sucker punch that guy for me!"

Wildwing called for a timeout and the team, including Vicki gathered around him. "I'm afraid we're one player short and I don't know if Vicki has any experience in hockey," he said and Vicki shook her head, meaning she had no experience in playing hockey.

"What are we going to do?" Tanya asked, "We can't ask anyone in the crowd to take over for Duke."

"Maybe you can," a familiar voice said and the Ducks turned around to see the coyote humanoid.

"Tech!" Vicki exclaimed and threw her arms around him.

"Hey Vicki, you missed me already?" he asked and returned the hug.

"Tech, do you have experience in hockey?" Canard asked.

"Sure do," Tech answered and Vicki was astonished.

"You never told me that!" she said and Tech chuckled.

"Hey Tech," a voice said from behind him, "Are you going to introduce your ex-girlfriend to us?" Vicki saw *two human-like rabbits, a road-runner, a giant Tasmanian devil, and a duck that looked like the Mighty Ducks.

"Vicki, this is my team, the Loonatics; Ace Bunny, Lexi Bunny, Danger Duck, Slam Tasmanian, and Rev Runner," Tech introduced them.

Danger looked at Vicki and she realized that he was already infatuated with her. "Sorry Danger, but I have a boyfriend," she told him and his face slumped.

"No time for pleasantries, just give some extra gear and I'm in," Tech said to the Ducks and he was led to the locker room. They gave him a jersey, along with protective gear, and skates and he was ready.

The announcer was informed of the change and Tech was allowed to take Duke's place. Vicki gave Tech a quick once-over on who to look out for and what moves he should do.

The second half of the game began with Tanya taking the puck. She passed it to Tech, with Canard and Grin protecting him. Tech passed it to Nosedive, but he was unable to score as the Panther goalie blocked it.

"We need to give the puck more speed," Tech said to the Ducks and they agreed. Mallory took the puck, passing it to Tanya, who then passed it to Tech. As fast as their skates can go, they went at amazing speed, and Tech, with a hard swing, sent the puck flying into the Panthers' net.

There was an explosion of cheers from the Duck fans. The Ducks high-five each other, including Tech, and continued on with the remainder of the game. The Panthers now had the puck and one wringer was heading straight for Wildwing.

"Oh no you don't!" Tech exclaimed, swinging the puck away from the enemy and Canard took it and passed it to Nosedive.

"I hope they go for another point!" Lexi exclaimed and everyone watched as Nosedive, Tanya, and Mallory passed the puck to one another and gave it to Tech. Tech gave a hard swing at the puck and everyone held their breaths as, in slow motion, the puck flew passed the Panther goalie and hit the net.

The whole arena erupted into claps and cheers as the Ducks received their third winning point and the timer buzzed, announcing the end of the game. The Ducks piled on Tech and each other in a tight group hug and they shouted, "DUCKS ROCK!"

()()()()()()()()()

At the hospital, Duke was brought in for X-ray and the results were not good. There was a fracture in the radius part of his arm, but according to the doctor, it was not too bad.

"It will take six weeks for it to heal, so I suggest you postpone your part in any hockey games or any stressful activities then," the doctor replied and Duke's arm was wrapped in a orthopedic cast and an arm sling would carry it.

Vicki arrived, along with the Ducks and Tech. Vicki hugged Duke, "How are you? How's the arm?" she asked.

"It's not the arm I'm worried about, it's my pride, I mean you that is," he replied and she kissed him.

"The wringer was arrested for disorderly conduct after you left," Wildwing said to his comrade. Duke than noticed Tech.

"Tech, thanks for taking over for me," he said and shook with his good hand with the coyote.

"I would've done the same thing for Vicki, except I would bite the wringer if I had to," Tech replied.

Duke was allowed to go and when he got back to the hotel, he looked in the mirror in his room. "Man, six weeks, what did I get myself into?" he asked Vicki.

"You stopped that wringer from stealing my ring, the guy must have anger issues," she said.

"If he ever comes near you, again, I'm going to break both his arms," Duke replied and they shared a kiss.

Just then, the room's door opened, and Nosedive saw what was going on. "Sorry, should've knocked!" he said and exited out of the room.

"What is it you want, kid?" Duke asked after Nosedive knocked.

"Wildwing said that we should go around town," he said and both Duke and Vicki nodded in excitement.

Sunrise was a beautiful city, especially at night, with the buildings illuminated with colored lights and the sounds of crashing waves were heard. Tech had introduced his teammates to Duke and the Liars.

"You are so lucky to have a girl like Vicki," Ace said to Duke. The whole group went to a restaurant where they were given a table outside. They helped themselves to some wine, while the younger ones had cider.

"Hey Loonabins," Phil said, mispronouncing the team's name, "How about you sign a sweet deal with me and you have screaming fans at your door?"

"In other words, you will be swimming in tons of cash," Mallory replied and the others had to agree with that.

Ace spoke for his team, "I'm afraid we must decline, we only came here with Tech to watch the game, and I must say it's a good thing we did. And we have our planet to protect."

Phil's face slumped in disappointment and their food arrived. Duke had trouble in gripping his fork with his left arm, as he was used to using his right arm. Vicki volunteered in helping to cut his food and feed him. After eating dinner, the group walked around the city, admiring the night life. True to her word, Mallory did some serious shopping, along with the Liars, and their hands were full of bags.

The group returned to the hotel and they retired for the night. Duke was already annoyed with the cast, "Why can't the six weeks just come and go already?" he asked Vicki.

"Oh, they'll come and go, you'll see," she answered and pulled out a marker. She wrote on Duke's cast 'Duke + Vicki' and drew a heart around the names and they went to bed.

* * *

**From the author: Poor Duke, but don't feel bad, he'll be back in the game later! Also, it was a good thing the Loonatics came along to save the game.  
**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Vacation was in full swing for the Ducks and their comrades. For winning the game last night, the mayor of Sunrise closed off half the beach for the Ducks and their friends.

"Ah, this is the life," Mallory commented, while she sun-bathed in her purple two-piece bikini.

Nosedive, being somewhat of a keen surfer, hit the waves with his surfboard, "Cowabunga!" he called out and rode with one wave.

The Liars, with Lexi and Tanya, were playing a sort of a bowling ball game with wooden pins on the sand and used a beach ball as a bowling ball. The others were relaxing on beach chairs, either asleep or reading magazines or books.

Duke, on the other hand, struggled with turning a page of his book, so he gave up on it. He gave a sigh of disappointment and laid back in his chair. Just then, two hands came to his shoulders and that's when Duke realized it was Vicki, giving him a massage.

"Just relax, Duke, it will only be six weeks," Vicki said, "Besides, it's vacation-time," she added and he had to nod.

Duke did whatever he could with his one good arm to keep himself occupied and keep his mind off from hockey for now at least. He mostly stayed out of the water and joined in the games with the Liars.

Five days later, the Ducks and their comrades left Sunrise and went on their way to Denver, Colorado. The Loonatics also joined in as their teammate, Tech was now part of the Ducks' hockey team.

()()()()()()()

In Denver, the Ducks were to face the Avalanches at their home, the Pepsi Center. "Why in the world would you name a hockey arena after a soda?" Ace asked, but no one had an answer to that.

Inside the arena's visitors' locker room, Vicki wrote on a board with a marker of what the team should follow. "Just keep your eyes on the puck," she said to them, including Tech, but she adds, "And no cheating, Tech."

"Me? Cheat?" he chuckled, but the others were confused and Vicki seemed to notice.

"Maybe we should show a demonstration," she said and held out her hand at Phil, "Can I borrow your cell?"

"Uh...okay," he replied, handing her his cell phone and placed it on a bench. Tech glued his eyes at the phone and commanded his brain to levitate it and it did.

"Whoa!" Nosedive exclaimed, but Tech was not finished. Using his mind, Tech dismantled the cell, featuring different pieces.

"My phone!" Phil exclaimed, but Tech began to assemble it, again, and it was back together.

"Is there anything else we need to know about Tech?" Wildwing asked Vicki.

"He can heal himself, but only himself," she replied.

"My ancestors were accident-prone," Tech said, "And I guess you can say I am as well."

The team headed out onto the ice for practice, but the welcome was not warm at all. The Avalanche team stared at the Ducks hard and stern and one shouts, "Go back to your own planet, duckies!"

"Shut up!" Mallory shouted back, but Nosedive pushed her away.

Then of course, one of the wringers skated up to Vicki, making kissing noises, "Great, another annoying admirer," she said to herself. Duke stepped in front and pushed the wringer away.

"Keep your sick thoughts to yourself and keep your eyes off my girl!" he warned, but the wringer ignored him and continued with the kissing noises.

"This is going to fun," Tech said to himself and his mind went to work, "Hey wringer!" he called out and the wringer turned to face him. Just then, the wringer's fist hit him in the side of his head.

"Stop hitting yourself!" Tech laughed and his mind continued to make the wringer's fist hit himself, again and again. The others, except the Avalanche team, began to laugh as they watched the spectacle.

"Okay Tech, that's enough!" Vicki commanded and the coyote obeyed. The wringer was seeing stars and he shook his head.

"Anyone else in for a self-fanny smacking? Hmmmm?" Tech asked the Avalanche team, but they gave no answer. Instead, they skated away.

"I forgot to mention, Tech has mind-control," Vicki added.

"Oh, that was so far out!" Nosedive exclaimed, "Can you do that, again?" he asked Tech.

"Okay, okay, let's not get too excited," Wildwing said to his young brother as they started their practice.

Later that evening, the teams were facing off with 4-3, the Ducks leading. "Keep at 'em!" Ace shouted at his friend, Tech, who just stole the puck from an Avalanche wringer.

The Ducks won the game with 5 points and they headed on home.

The weeks had gone by rather quickly. The Ducks and Tech faced off with the Dallas Stars, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the St. Louis Blues, and the Minnesota Wild. The Ducks won each game, all thanks to Vicki's strategies and Tech's help.

There at times when the Ducks were home in Anaheim, Dragaunus was up to his old ways, but with the help of the Loonatics, the dragon king and his goons were easily defeated each time.

()()()()()()

It finally came the day when Duke's cast was to be removed. At the hospital, a doctor used a cast cutter, and Duke could not help but laugh as the saw's vibrations made him quite ticklish.

When the cast was off, Duke's arm felt quite stiff and sore. "It feels much worse than before," he said.

"Don't worry, it takes time for it to get use to being used, again," the doctor replied and was about to throw the cast away.

"Hold it doc, I want to keep it," Duke said and took the cast. Once the doctor left, Vicki gently rubbed Duke's arm and kissed it. "Now that feels much better," he said and gave Vicki a kiss on the cheek.

When the two returned to the Pond, the Ducks gave their comrade a warm welcome, but he insisted that he not hand-shake with them. Duke got into his gear and skated around the arena. He and his team practiced a little just so that Duke can used to being on the ice and holding a hockey stick, again.

In the locker room, the Ducks and the Loonatics listened to Vicki as she had an announcement. "Our next game will be in Altavista, my hometown," she said and they became eager to hear more, "Against the *Galactic Tigers at their newly constructed stadium."

"This ought to be interesting, I wonder what your neighbors will think when they see you with us," Canard said. Vicki shrugged it off and continued to talk.

"This time we won't be staying in a hotel, trust me, they are the worst in Altavista. I contacted my Aunt Violet and she's agreed, more like insisted, that we stay at our place."

"If it's not a hassle," Wildwing said and Vicki shook her head.

"My mansion has tons of rooms and Tech," she said, turning her attention to the coyote, "You and your team are more than welcome to come, too."

"Really?" Lexi asked and Vicki nodded.

"And please, don't freak out when you see my aunt's mansion," Vicki said and they all nodded.

"What about your roommates?" Mallory asked.

"They're coming, too," Vicki answered, "So, all I have to say now is pack whatever is needed for this next trip," she added and the group nodded their heads and went to work in packing what they needed.

"I'm looking forward to seeing your hometown and meeting your aunt," Duke said to Vicki and took a quick look at the ring on her finger. "See you in the morning, sweetheart," he added, kissing her cheek and they departed ways.

Vicki returned to her apartment, where she discovered tons of luggage bags out in the foyer. "Hello?" she called out and Alison showed herself, "What's going on?" Vicki asked, again.

"We packed what was needed for the trip," Alison answered.

"It seems that you packed a little too much and a little too soon," Vicki replied, but shrugged it off.

After dinner, Vicki packed what she needed for the trip to Altavista and, realizing how tired she was, Vicki retired to bed early. She felt excited in going back to her hometown for a short while and she wondered off to sleep.

* * *

**From the author: Sorry for the short chapter, I didn't feel like going into too much detail with the games and the fights with Dragaunus. Anyway, it's good that Duke is back in the game! Stay tuned!  
**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Morning came, but Vicki could not get herself up from her bed as she felt like not getting up yet. She scratched her head and took a quick peek at her iPhone clock, '8:59 am' it read. She gasped and immediately got out of her bed. The Ducks wanted to leave at 9:30 and Vicki was going to hold them up.

She grabbed a pair of short jeans, a blue shirt with pink flowers, a white cardigan to go over it, and literally hopped into high-heeled sandals. After making up her bed, Vicki opened her bedroom door and crashed into something or someone.

"Whoa! You got the wind knocked out of me," Duke said, rubbing the side of his head.

"Duke, I'm sorry, I slept in and I was trying to speed it up and-" Vicki stopped talking when Duke kissed her full on the lips. After departing, the ex-con replies, "There are times that you really need to cool down, sweetheart."

"I know," Vicki replied, "Ever since I got here, I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't do things right."

"Having anxiety is no fun," Duke said, "C'mon, you better eat something before we head on out."

Down in the kitchen, the Liars had made French vanilla coffee and Danishes were displayed out on the high table. Vicki filled up her mug and picked a cherry Danish and began to eat.

"So, Vicki, what is your aunt like? Apart from being rich and all?" Duke asked.

"Well, she took me in after I graduated from high school and that was around the time my mom and step-dad started traveling around the world after the war ended. She is or was my late dad's older sister. She was married to my late Uncle Theodore or Ted, a Broadway musical director, and he made quite a bundle with his career, but don't tell Phil I said that," Vicki explained and spoke the last part in a whisper and Duke made 'my lips (or beak) are sealed' gesture.

"And mind if I ask why your Aunt Violet is not living in New York City?" Duke said.

"Oh, she can't stand big cities and not to mention that the entire state of New York really picks out of your wallet with all those ridiculous taxes and such. Plus, I kind of figured that she likes the countryside better as it has wide open spaces for her horses and-"

"Excuse me? She has horses?" Duke asked and Vicki nods, "Whoa, you need to show me the ropes of riding those babies," he added and she had to smile.

"You have to meet Majesty, he's all mine," Vicki replied and pulled out her wallet and showed some photos of her pets. Majesty was a gray-coat Arabian horse and he looked big and strong. There was a little black and white furred kitten.

"And who is this?" Duke asked, pointing to the kitten.

"That would be Case, short for Suitcase. I actually discovered him in my suitcase when I came home after graduation, he gave me the greatest scare of my life when I opened my bag, seriously, I fell on my butt. Aunt Violet thought I lost my mind or something," Vicki explained and Duke had to laugh.

Vicki finished eating her Danish and drinking her coffee and then she brushed her teeth and was ready to go.

()()()()()()()

"Virginia, here we come!" Nosedive exclaimed when the Aero-Wing flew out of the Pond and headed east.

"Three weeks of vacation! Man, this summer keeps getting better and better!" Lexi said in an excited tone.

"Vicki," Wildwing said to the young woman, "Is your aunt's mansion like in the middle of nowhere?" he asked.

"Sort of, just a few miles away from the town of Altavista, but my aunt owns about 50 acres of wide open pasture for her horses," Vicki replied.

"And what should we expect at this mansion?" Canard asked his question.

"About 20 separate bedrooms, not including mine or my aunt's, each with a different theme. Stables that have 10 horses. A tennis court, an arcade room, an indoor pool and hot tub, a sauna, a workout room, a big kitchen, dining room, and a big garage," Vicki explained and that's when she noticed Phil staring at her with wide eyes.

'_Uh-oh', _Vicki's mind warned her.

"And just how much money does your aunt make in a year?" Phil asked in a rather demanding tone.

"Um, with my late uncle's Broadway plays, they make about 10 million a year, and Aunt Violet did inherit a fortune when Uncle Theodore died," Vicki replied and Phil gave a huff.

The Liars struggled to hold in a laugh and Alison asks, "And what kind of Broadway musicals did your Uncle Theodore wrote and directed?"

"Mainly real life stories about famous figures, like Gandhi, Harriet Tubman, Phillis Wheatley, and other sorts of people, but my favorite is of Martin Luther King, Jr.," Vicki answered and sat down, again.

"So much for 'my beak is sealed' thing," Duke said to Vicki, "If Phil starts hitting on your aunt, I'll kick his behind," he added and Vicki chuckled.

"Oh, Tanya," Vicki said to the science wiz duck, "Just to warn you, Aunt Violet has some dogs, but they are Portuguese Water Dogs and they love the outdoors and they don't shed, but they have their own place out by the stables, so they won't be in the mansion."

"Thank you for telling me that," Tanya replied, "But I think I'm going to avoid the stables, just to be safe," she added.

()()()()()()()

The Aero-Wing arrived at Altavista's Memorial Airfield and the plane was brought into a hanger. Out on the tarmac, three limousines lined up and a black-suited driver came up to the group.

"Mighty Ducks, welcome to Altavista, we are to bring you to the Payne-McCray mansion," he said and the three groups went into their own limousine.

Inside the limo were black leather seats and a bar with champagne glasses, except the green bottles had apple and grape ciders. "Compliments from Mrs. Violet Payne," the driver in the first limo said to the Ducks and Vicki.

Duke popped the cork of the grape cider and poured the glasses for everyone. Phil, however, refused his glass, "Just to let you know, I'm very jealous of you and your aunt, Miss McCray," he said to Vicki.

"Ah, lighten up Phil," Wildwing said to his manager, "Three weeks in a mansion, would you consider that heaven?"

"It would be hea...he...paradise if he stayed in one his whole life," Tanya replied and they saw that Phil took his glass and gulped the whole drink down.

"Before we get to the mansion, I believe you would want to see the finished Altavista's Hockey Center," the driver said to the Ducks.

"Oh yes, please," Vicki replied and the driver headed down to the heart of the town.

"Would you look at that," Mallory said, peering out the window, pointing to a gold colored dome roof. The limos pulled into a half-circle and the drivers opened the doors for the groups to step out.

The building was made of white marble and banners were hung that said "Galactic Tigers Vs. Mighty Ducks". The Galactic Tigers' mascot was a fierce looking tiger colored yellow with black stripes that had displayed its claws and a black tip tail.

Around the building were sugar maple trees planted in plots along the side-walk.

The groups stared at the newly finished building, admiring it. "I must say, the people of Altavista took a lot of pride in working this place," Tech said to the group.

They all got back into their limos and they drove away from the stadium.

()()()()()()()()

The scenery faded from the town of Altavista to open country with rolling hills and wild flowers were blooming. The limos pulled up a smooth stone driveway and stopped.

When everyone stepped out, their mouths, except for Vicki, dropped wide open. The mansion was made of white stone with French windows, Roman columns served as support beams on the outside with wonderful details. A second floor balcony stood under the roof. A smooth stone fountain spouted water out in the middle of a plot of grass.

"Oh, trust me, you haven't anything yet," Vicki said to her friends.

"Just how old is this place?" Tanya asked with curiosity.

"It was first built in 1784, shortly after the Revolution, but it was destroyed in a fire in 1908. A architect named Benjamin Oswald purchased the property in 1911 and rebuilt it with the modernized features you see now. Unfortunately, it was abandoned by Oswald and his family when they lost their fortune in the stock market crash of 1929.

"It remained empty throughout the 30's and early 40's, until my uncle's grandfather purchased the property in 1945 after he came home from fighting in Europe. My uncle's father grew up here and he inherited the mansion after his father died. Legend has it that during the Civil Rights movement, my uncle's father had meetings with some Civil Rights' leaders in a secret room somewhere in this mansion, where they would not be discovered by anti-Civil Rights' members, such as the KKK," Vicki explained the mansion's history and adds, "After my uncle died, my aunt and I searched effortlessly to find this secret room, but it seems that it doesn't exist."

Everyone gave disappointed sighs. "Man, having a secret room is like finding buried treasure," Ace said.

"Yeah, but what would you do with it?" Lexi asked her boyfriend.

Just then, a woman's excited wails emerged from the double doors and Vicki's Aunt Violet came running out of the mansion. "There's my baby!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around Vicki.

Aunt Violet gave dozens of kisses on Vicki's head and squeezed her tight. "Aunt Violet, calm down!" Vicki had to cry out to stop her aunt from smothering her.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," Aunt Violet said and turned her attention to Vicki's friends and roommates. "So these are the famous Mighty Ducks," she said and shook hands with them, but stopped to stare at Duke.

"So, you are the ex-con whose name has been cleared by my Vicki," Aunt Violet said to him in an almost hostile voice.

"Yes, that's correct," Duke answered, but Aunt Violet raised a brow.

"That wasn't a question," she said, "You know, when Vicki and Tech broke up, she cried for over a week."

"Aunt Violet, you're exaggerating!" Vicki said in an annoyed tone.

"Vicki, hush!" the woman ordered and says to Duke, "If you as so much as make her cry a tear, I will come after you and make you drink lead."

Duke literally made a loud gulp in his throat and that's when Aunt Violet started to chuckle. "I'm just kidding," she laughed and patted Duke's shoulder. Vicki came to his side.

"You have to forgive her, she can be...eccentric sometimes," she said and Duke just gave a chuckle.

"No problems sweetheart," he replied, looping an arm around her.

Aunt Violet led everyone inside, where there was a crystal chandelier hanging above a table that had a crystal vase of lilies. The floors were of shiny brown stone that had milky veins. There was a grand staircase that led upstairs.

To the right, there was a large living room with a grand fireplace, leather cushioned and cotton couches and seats, a grand piano, and the windows showed a view of the drive-in and the hills.

Vicki opened a set of double doors that led into the dining room. There was a polished oak table and oak chairs in the center of the room. There was a door that led outside in the back to reveal a magnificent garden of tulips, daises, roses, and other flowers.

"Hey, there they are, them beauties," Duke said, pointing to the pasture where the horses were out.

"Vicki!" a girl's voice called out and a young woman just a bit older than Vicki walked up to her. The young woman had peach colored skin, but her nose and cheeks were covered in freckles, she had brown hair tied in a bun and sparkling amber eyes. She wore a plaid shirt and beige pants and black boots.

"Duke, this is Lacey, she is a good friend of mine, she takes care of the horses," Vicki introduced her friend.

"What a handsome duck he is," Lacey commented and Duke chuckled.

"How did Case and Majesty do while I was gone?" Vicki asked her friend.

"Oh, they were miserable when you left, but a week's worth of riding gave Majesty his confidence back. Case, oh, he grew like a weed, I don't if you will recognize him," Lacey answered and decided to get back to work in the stable.

The two went back inside where Vicki showed the indoor pool, hot tub, and other sorts. They finally caught up with the group upstairs where the rooms were. Some had two beds, while others had one.

"This one's mine!" Mallory shouted as she picked a room that had a winter theme with pictures of snowy landscapes.

"I clearly understand why," Wildwing said as the room reminded him of home. He and Nosedive shared a room that had a bird theme.

"This one is perfect," Grin stated upon entering one room with Asian themes, such as golden and jade dragon statues. The others settled in whatever room that suited them and their luggage was brought to them.

"Where's yours?" Duke asked Vicki and she lead the way.

She opened a door to reveal a dazzling sight. The walls were painted a winter blue, a canopy bed with white curtains and the mattress was covered with light blue bed sheets, with soft pillows with rainbow pillowcases.

There was a huge walk-in closet with dozens of clothes and shoes. A beautiful, polished maple dresser with a mirror and a carousel horse figurine with blue flowers stood beside the mirror.

A huge flat-screen TV hung on the wall with a VCR/DVD player. There was a balcony that had a lovely view of the garden. Duke was astonished, but he almost felt embarrassed when he saw a poster of himself in his hockey gear.

Vicki leaned in to see the expression on his face and she laughed. "You have everything," he commented, but then noticed a nightstand. The nightstand had pictures and Duke asks, "Can you tell me who's who?"

Vicki pointed to a picture of her late father in an army uniform, with a handsome, "This is of his graduation from college, he wore the uniform because he also graduated from the army with passing colors," she explained and showed a picture of her when she was small, her mother, and her stepfather on Christmas Eve.

"Awe, you were so cute," Duke said and Vicki blushed. She then showed a picture of her with Aunt Violet on her 16th birthday and a picture of her and Tech together on their first date.

Duke than noticed a snowman figurine and Vicki pressed a button and the snowman illuminated with different colors. "That was my dad's last Christmas gift before he died. Seeing it every time makes me remember him," Vicki explained.

Duke looped an arm around her and says, "I'm sure he is thinking of you right now."

Just then, they heard a 'MEOW!' behind them and they turned to see a fluffy white and black cat. "Case, hi baby!" Vicki exclaimed, taking the cat into her arms, "Gosh, you've gotten big."

"Hey little guy," Duke said, but Case gave a growl.

"He hates strangers and being called 'little guy'," Vicki warned and calmed her cat down, enough for Case to let Duke pet him.

"How come you didn't bring him to your apartment?" Duke asked.

"It was a 36 hour drive, not including the over-night stays in Little Rock and Santa Fe, plus I think he would hate that," Vicki answered and Duke scratched under Case's chin.

Just then, they heard the ringing of a bell, "It's dinner time already? Wow, I never noticed how fast time went," Vicki said and showed Duke out of the room and back to the dining room, joining with the others.


End file.
